Event CEN16LA322

Factual narrative

On August 10, 2016, about 0730 eastern daylight time, a Piper J5C airplane, N30313, impacted a ditch after landing at Sandusky City Airport (Y83), Sandusky, Michigan. The private rated pilot sustained minor injuries and the pilot rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Dupont-Lapeer Airport (D95), Lapeer, Michigan, about 0630. The pilot stated that they arrived at Y83 and completed one full stop landing on runway 18. They departed runway 18, entered the traffic pattern, and intended to land on runway 36. The pilot noted that the touchdown was normal, but the airplane veered to the right and impacted a ditch. The pilot noted that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had no other memory of the accident sequence. The pilot rated passenger, seated in the rear seat, stated that the approach was stable, but during the landing the airplane "bounced pretty good," enough for the airplane became airborne again. The airplane bounced 2 to 3 times and veered right. The airplane began to gain altitude and then dropped into the ditch. He did not recall the right wing contacting anything prior to the impact with the ditch. The passenger had no other memory of the accident sequence. The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector conducted a postaccident examination of the airplane and found no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. He reported that the left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage during the impact sequence. After completing one full-stop landing on the grass runway in calm wind conditions, the private pilot decided to complete another landing in the opposite direction. During the landing, the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced multiple times and became airborne again. The airplane then veered to the right and impacted a ditch next to the runway. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot failed to control the airplane's descent rate and landing flare, which led to the bounced landing. He was then unable to recover and exited the side of the runway. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained
• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained