ATL04LA015

Factual narrative

On October 13, 2003, about 1138 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210L, N732AG, registered to Vanderwyst Holdings, Inc., and operated by the private pilot, collided with the runway during recovery from a bounced landing at Hickory Regional Airport, Hickory, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with a visual flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The private pilot received minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Cleveland, Ohio, about 0935 on October 13, 2003. The pilot stated he executed a straight-in approach to runway 19 and pulled the throttle to idle when the airplane crossed the runway threshold. The pilot stated the airplane hit the runway flat and hard, and it bounced, then porpoised. The pilot stated he applied power, and the airplane spun around to the left. A witness outside an airport building stated he saw the airplane touch down in a shallow flare and bounce three times. The witness reported that, on the third bounce, the airplane climbed to about 25 feet with its nose up, and he and another witness stated they heard the pilot add power. He stated the airplane then rolled to the left, the left wingtip collided with the ground, and the airplane spun around. The airplane came to rest in the grassy area between runway 19 and taxiway B. Examination of the airplane revealed the nose of the airplane forward of the firewall was crushed and separated, the nose wheel and a portion of the right main landing gear were separated, both wingtips and the horizontal stabilizer were damaged, and the fuselage was buckled. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. An air traffic controller reported the pilot was instructed to report a two-mile final for runway 19. The controller stated the pilot did not report the position on final and landed on runway 19 without clearance. The pilot executed a straight-in landing on runway 19. The pilot stated the airplane hit the runway flat and hard, bounced, and porpoised. The pilot stated he applied power, and the airplane spun around to the left. A witness outside an airport building stated he saw the airplane touchdown in a shallow flare and bounce three times. The witness reported that, on the third bounce, the airplane climbed to about 25 feet with its nose up. He stated the airplane then rolled to the left, the left wingtip collided with the ground, and the airplane spun around and came to rest in the grass beside the runway. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. An air traffic controller reported the pilot was not cleared to land. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12