Skip to content

CEN10CA522

2010-09-06 · Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport C20

Current FAA registration · N404SE

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28R-200
Year of manufacture
1974 · 36 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19740321
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4BD12

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor and the pilot were performing a simulated forced landing. The flight spiraled down, the gear and flaps were lowered, and the airplane overshot the runway centerline on the turn to the final approach. The pilot did not maintain a stabilized airspeed on final. The airplane sustained substantial damage when the airplane landed hard on the runway. The flight instructor reported that he attempted to correct the flight "but the aircraft was too slow to respond due to the loss of airspeed caused by the final flare." Neither the pilot nor flight instructor listed any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The flight instructor's safety recommendation stated that he "should have aborted the landing at the first indication of an error by the pilot." The flight instructor and the pilot were performing a simulated forced landing. During the maneuver, the pilot did not maintain a stabilized airspeed on final approach. The airplane landed hard on the runway, sustaining substantial damage. Both pilots reported no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. The flight instructor stated that he should have aborted the landing at the first indication of an error by the pilot. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Lack of action-Instructor/check pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_CEN10CA522.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.