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GAA15CA071

2015-05-14 · Atlanta, Georgia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PDK

N741CD has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (DIAMOND AIRCRAFT DA 40, built 2021), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain pitch control during the landing. Contributing to this accident was the pilot's lack of experience with the airplane's performance characteristics during the approach resulting in a hard landing and runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he initiated a steep descent for landing and that his final approach was high and fast. He reported the airplane made contact with the runway during the flare, and bounced during touchdown, resulting in a propeller strike and runway excursion. A post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Air Safety Inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing. The Air Safety Inspector stated the landing gear made contact with the left wing causing the damage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he initiated a steep descent for landing and that his final approach was high and fast. He reported the airplane made contact with the runway during the flare, and bounced during touchdown, resulting in a propeller strike and runway excursion. A post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration Air Safety Inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing. The Air Safety Inspector stated the landing gear made contact with the left wing causing the damage. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience-Pilot - F
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA15CA071.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers