Summary
On October 27, 2018, a Stoddard Hamilton GLASAIR II (N505YR) was involved in an incident near Laramie, WY. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper pitch attitude during landing at night, which resulted in a porpoised landing.
The pilot-rated owner reported that, after purchasing the airplane and receiving initial training the day before and the morning of the accident, he and a pilot rated friend departed for a cross-country flight to their home airport. He added that after nearly 9 hours of being in the airplane for the day, the pilot rated friend, who was manipulating the flight controls offered to land at the destination airport because he had landed there before. The horizon was becoming dark and they attempted to adjust the panel lights for the instruments, but discovered that the lights did not function, so the owner used a flashlight to illuminate the instruments for the landing.
During the landing, the nose landing gear contacted the ground first and the airplane porpoised.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA044. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N505YR.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper pitch attitude during landing at night, which resulted in a porpoised landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot-rated owner reported that, after purchasing the airplane and receiving initial training the day before and the morning of the accident, he and a pilot rated friend departed for a cross-country flight to their home airport. He added that after nearly 9 hours of being in the airplane for the day, the pilot rated friend, who was manipulating the flight controls offered to land at the destination airport because he had landed there before. The horizon was becoming dark and they attempted to adjust the panel lights for the instruments, but discovered that the lights did not function, so the owner used a flashlight to illuminate the instruments for the landing.
During the landing, the nose landing gear contacted the ground first and the airplane porpoised. With each bounce becoming more severe, the pilot initiated a go around, but to no avail. The owner added that, on about the third bounce, the airplane exited the runway to the left and came to rest nosed down.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount and fuselage.
The owner reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The automated weather observation system at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 270° at 11 knots. The pilot landed on runway 30.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA19CA044