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ERA21LA139

2021-02-22 · Fort Pierce, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FPR

Current FAA registration · N885AC

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-181
Year of manufacture
2020 · 1 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-360-A4M (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20200901
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC306B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot under instruction’s improper landing flare and attempted go-around which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.

Factual narrative

The pilot under instruction was undergoing a stage check. On what was to be the last landing, the pilot was to perform a short field landing. As the airplane approached the runway, the pilot initiated the landing flare too high. The stall warning horn annunciated, and the flight instructor instructed the pilot to execute a go around. However, the pilot did not add power, so the flight instructor took over the flight controls, and added full power. The flight instructor tried to recover, but the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall, started turning into the wind, and directional control of the airplane was lost. The airplane then started descending and yawing to the right, and the airplane touched down hard coming to rest on the grass off the right side of the runway. The airplane’s left wing and stabilator were substantially damaged. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-(general)-Capability exceeded

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_ERA21LA139.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, loss of control, go-around). All research papers