Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Failure of the pilot to properly judge his altitude during final approach resulting in an undershoot. A factor was a downdraft weather condition.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On June 29, 1996, at 1209 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 402A, N13GM, operating as Air Vegas Flight 11, landed short of runway 21 at the Grand Canyon Airport, Grand Canyon, Arizona, and sheared off the left main landing gear. The airplane was being operated as a sightseeing flight under 14 CFR Part 135 when the accident occurred. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot and nine passengers were not injured. The flight originated from the Henderson Sky Harbor Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, at 1100 hours. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot indicated the Grand Canyon Airport air traffic control tower changed the landing direction after he had planned to land on the opposite runway. According to the pilot, the tower reported the winds as calm. He indicated the airplane encountered heavy wind shear and winds and the airplanes sink rate was increasing while on short final approach. He added power, but the airplane landed hard.
The airplane touched down 32 feet short of the end of the runway. The airplane struck the asphalt edge of the approach end of the runway shearing the left main landing gear. After losing the left main landing gear, the right main landing gear collapsed. The airplane skidded 2,600 feet on the belly before coming to rest on the right side of the runway. The airplane was subsequently dragged from the runway by a fire truck in order to restore airport operations.
After the accident, the pilot noticed the windy conditions were evident from the airport windsock and various flags in front of airport buildings.
The Airman's Information Manual (AIM) is published to provide pilots with basic flight information affecting flight safety. The AIM contains a figure which designates the State of Arizona as a mountainous area. The AIM also lists several potential flight hazards, one of which is mountain flying. The AIM indicates abrupt changes in wind direction and velocity occur and severe updrafts and downdrafts are common, particularly near or above abrupt changes of terrain such as cliffs or rugged areas.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX96LA252