Skip to content

ERA10CA513

2010-09-23 · Northampton, Massachusetts, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 7B2

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that it was his first landing at the accident airport. During the traffic pattern and approach for landing, he was "preoccupied" with the terrain surrounding the airport and landed at a "higher than normal" airspeed. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced. On the second touchdown, the airplane's nose landing gear contacted the runway, the airplane "shifted" to the right, and the left propeller impacted the runway. Postaccident examination by the FAA inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings, and no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane were identified. The pilot stated that it was his first landing at the accident airport. While in the traffic pattern and on the approach for landing, he stated that he became preoccupied with the terrain surrounding the airport and landed at a higher than normal airspeed. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced. On the second touchdown, the airplane's nose landing gear contacted the runway, the airplane shifted to the right, and the left propeller impacted the runway. Postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to both wings, and no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane were identified. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA513.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.