Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 305C (0 1E) near Hondo, TX — 2013-12-17

Final reportCEN14LA089
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Date
2013-12-17
Location
Hondo, TX, USA
Airport
HDO
Aircraft
CESSNA 305C (0 1E)
Registration
N83CN
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's loss of directional control during an attempted go-around for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s and pilot’s decision to continue flight after experiencing repeated problems upon landing.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that he and the private pilot were conducting a flight review at the time of the accident. The pilot performed the first two landings, during which the airplane tended to turn left. The flight instructor then decided to complete the third landing, which he did with "minimal directional control problems." The pilot attempted to complete the fourth landing, but the airplane tended to turn left again, so he aborted the landing. After going around and attempting a final landing, the pilot again initiated an aborted landing; however, according to the flight instructor, a "severe left turn" developed, which resulted in a runway excursion, ground loop, and landing gear collapse. The flight instructor stated that they should have terminated the flight earlier to investigate the left-turning tendency. A postaccident examination of the landing gear did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure. However, the left main landing gear attachment bolt was not recovered, which precluded a complete examination of the landing gear assembly. As a result, it could not be determined whether an impending failure of the landing gear resulted in the pilot's loss of directional control or whether the loss of control precipitated the landing gear collapse.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Instructor should have terminated the flight to investigate left turning tendency.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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