Event IAD99LA011

Factual narrative

On October 20, 1998, about 1730 eastern daylight time, a Ryan Navion-A, N4529K, was substantially damaged as it impacted the runway during landing at the Spadaro Airport (1N2), East Moriches, New York. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot/owner were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from the Republic Airport (FRG), Farmingdale, New York, about 1630. The CFI and the student pilot/owner reported that they departed from FRG's runway 32, and the winds were 330 degrees magnetic at 18 knots. As they transited along the shoreline of Long Island, they listened to the Long Island-Mac Arthur Airport (ISP) Automatic Terminal Information System (ATIS). They recalled the winds being reported were similar to FRG. After practicing air work in the local training area, they entered the traffic pattern for runway 36 at 1N2, 31 miles east of FRG. The CFI reported that the windsock favored runway 36, and estimated the winds from 360 degrees magnetic at 5 knots. He recalled that on the first approach, the student pilot was too high and fast, so he executed a go-around. The CFI and the student pilot did not notice any change in the wind during the go-around or throughout the ensuing traffic pattern. The CFI wrote: "during the final descent towards the runway, I always keep an eye on the (air)speed...the (airspeed) needle jumped from 75 to 60 and the airplane started sinking in a pre-stall configuration. Before the student had time to react, I pushed the nose of the airplane down in an attempt to restore enough (air) speed while telling him to add power (his hand on the throttle prevented me from doing it myself). He did add power, but by the time the engine gave us the power we needed, the runway was too close, and I leveled the airplane to avoid a nose down landing." The CFI stated that it was his impression that he landed on the main gear and that "the momentum forced the nose wheel down into the runway. The nose wheel collapsed and the airplane slid off the right side of the runway, coming to a stop in an upright position." The student pilot reported that during the second approach "everything was normal. We came over the trees and, about 20 feet off the ground, we hit a wind shear. We pushed the throttle in full, but, by the time the plane reacted, we landed on the nose gear and the prop struck the ground." The student pilot reported that "there was no problem with the aircraft. It was fine." He added, "[the airport] is in a valley of trees, and under the right conditions, it's treacherous." The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was not notified of this accident until October 23, 1998, because the owner did not think the damage incurred met the notification criteria. An FAA Inspector examined the airplane on October 26, 1998. The examination revealed that the tunnel assembly on which the engine mount was attached, bent downward about 30 degrees. The nose gear collapsed forward, and substantial damage was done to the firewall. The Inspector did not find any pre-impact mechanical malfunction with the airframe or the engine. The certificated flight instructor and student pilot/owner took off with the winds from 330 degrees magnetic at 18 knots. After practicing in the local training area, they flew to another airport 31 miles to the east. After entering the traffic pattern, they noticed the windsock favoring runway 36 and estimated the wind to be 5 knots. During the first attempt at landing, the student pilot was too high and fast, and a go-around was executed. Throughout the go-around and traffic pattern, the student and CFI did not notice any changes in the wind. On descent to the runway, the CFI stated that the '(air)speed needle jumped from 75 to 60 and the airplane started sinking in a pre-stall configuration. Before the student had time to react, I pushed the nose of the airplane down in an attempt to restore enough (air) speed while telling him to add power.' The airplane impacted the runway, collapsing the nose landing gear and came to rest in an upright position off the right side of the runway. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12