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ERA13CA271

2013-06-05 · Concord, New Hampshire, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CON

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent main landing gear collapse.

Factual narrative

According to pilot, he flew the visual approach at the 55-knot normal airspeed as prescribed by the airplane owner's manual. The pilot stated that during the flare, the airplane lost lift and impacted the runway. During rollout on the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane ground looped 180 degrees, and came to rest on the right side of runway 35. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right main landing gear attachment point and the engine firewall were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The recorded wind at the airport, about the time of the accident, was from 320 degrees at 7 knots. According to pilot, he flew the visual approach at the 55-knot normal airspeed as prescribed by the airplane owner's manual. The pilot stated that during the flare, the airplane lost lift and impacted the runway. During rollout on the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane ground looped 180 degrees, and came to rest on the right side of runway 35. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear attachment point and the engine firewall were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The recorded wind at the airport, about the time of the accident, was from 320 degrees at 7 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-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_2013_ERA13CA271.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.