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GAA16CA007

2015-10-05 · BRYAN, Texas, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CFD

Current FAA registration · N477UC

Make / Model
BOGLE ABSEY C BREEZY RLU-1
Year of manufacture
2013 · 2 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-235-C1 (115 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20130211
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5DCE0

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's excessive descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the experimental amateur built airplane reported that he had been practicing touch and go landings on an airport runway and taxiway. He then made a successful simulated engine out landing on the runway, following that, he and then attempted a simulated engine out landing on the opposite end of the runway. The pilot reported that during the approach, "the turn to downwind caused the speed to decay so I lowered the nose to attempt to regain the speed". He lowered the airplane's nose to regain airspeed, but reported that he realized the attitude was too steep and applied full power in an attempt to recover. The pilot reported that he was unable to slow the descent rate and the airplane landed hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wing struts. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of the experimental amateur built airplane reported that he had been practicing touch and go landings on an airport runway and taxiway. He then made a successful simulated engine out landing on the runway, following that, he and then attempted a simulated engine out landing on the opposite end of the runway. The pilot reported that during the approach, "the turn to downwind caused the speed to decay so I lowered the nose to attempt to regain the speed". He lowered the airplane's nose to regain airspeed, but reported that he realized the attitude was too steep and applied full power in an attempt to recover. The pilot reported that he was unable to slow the descent rate and the airplane landed hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wing struts. The pilot reported no preimpact 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

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-Pitch control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA16CA007.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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