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ERA11CA255

2011-04-21 · Ocala, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport OCF

N334J has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (DEHAVILLAND DHC-1 CHIPMUNK, built 1952), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper flare which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's distracted attention due to the electrical system failure.

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that while at 8,000 feet he began losing electrical power to all of his instruments, including radios. He had the airport in sight, so he did not declare an emergency, but did switch his transponder to 7600. He stated that he selected the landing gear handle to the down position, he did not remember acknowledging the gear position indicator, nor did he remember hearing the gear motor, and he did not use the hand crank for the landing gear. He said he was unable to lower the flaps. On final, he pulled the power, but the engine stayed at full power despite the fact that the throttle was retarded. He landed fast. He tried to flare but the airplane was going too fast. He said he landed bounced, and then the airplane came back down hard. The pilot stated that he was very nervous and distracted by all of the system failures. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector found the battery dead, and substantial damage to the engine compartment and forward cabin/cockpit. While in cruise flight at 8,000 feet, the airplane lost electrical power. The pilot said he had the airport in sight, so he did not declare an emergency. He stated that he selected the landing gear handle to the down-and-locked position, but he could not recall if the gear position light was illuminated, nor could he remember hearing the landing gear motor. He said he did not use the manual gear extension procedure. On final approach he reduced the engine power, but the engine stayed at full power. He said he was unable to lower the flaps and the airplane touched down fast and bounced. Postaccident examination revealed that the battery was dead. The pilot stated that he was very nervous and distracted by all of the system failures. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • F Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Electrical power system-AC generator-alternator-Failure - F
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_ERA11CA255.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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