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Atlas / NTSB / GAA18CA578

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event GAA18CA578

2018-09-19 Frederick, Maryland, United States Airport · FDK None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N56PE

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CIRRUS DESIGN SR22

Year of manufacture

2010 · 8 years old at event

TCDS

A00009CH · CIRRUS DESIGN CORP

Engine

CONT MOTOR IO-550-N (310 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20100326

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A725DB

Registrant of record

HART EVERETT T

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in the airplane porpoising.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after completing an instructional flight, he dropped off the flight instructor, and flew back to his home airport. During landing the airplane porpoised and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, after completing an instructional flight, he dropped off the flight instructor and flew back to his home airport. During landing, the airplane porpoised, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA578.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.