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Atlas / NTSB / ERA20CA153

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ERA20CA153

2020-04-19 Merritt Island, Florida, United States Airport · COI None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N855SH

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

HENDERSON SARAH SUPER ES

Year of manufacture

2020 · 0 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR IO-550 SERIES (300 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20200317

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S ABBB83

Registrant of record

HENDERSON SARAH

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain a stabilized approach and improper landing flare, which resulted in a porpoised landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the airplane reported that, while on the final approach to land, the airplane may have been a little fast. When the airplane touched down on the runway it porpoised and resulted in separation of the nose gear. The airplane impacted the runway surface and veered off the runway onto the adjacent grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, while on the final approach to land, the airplane may have been a little fast. When the airplane touched down on the runway, it porpoised, which resulted in the separation of the nose landing gear. The airplane then veered off the runway onto grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and engine mount. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_ERA20CA153.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.