NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA97LA042
Registry · N61FD
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
SIAI MARCHETTI F.260C
Engine
LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19830928
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A7ECE6
Registrant of record
INTERNATIONAL AIR SERVICES INC TRUSTEE
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
the pilot misjudged the flare resulting in a hard landing.
Factual narrative
On October 25, 1996, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Siai Marchetti F206C, N61FD, registered to a private owner was substantially damage during a landing, near Kissimmee, Florida. The airline transport rated pilot, and a commercial pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity, and no flight plan had been filed. The local business flight was being conducted in accordance with title 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, as Chief Pilot of Fighter Pilots USA, he was to fly with another pilot on a refresher ride. He said he was acting as pilot-in-command (PIC), and he briefed the mission to the other pilot, to included air work maneuvers. The PIC said that the flight approached the field from the west, with the intent to land on runway 15. He said, "...the winds were variable, visibility was reduced due to haze and the sky was clear of clouds." He further stated that as he set up for the approach, "the haze was still present and our visibility was aggravated by the sun angle." On short final the flight descended below the tree line, and a "sink rate developed before power could be increased." The pilot had to initiate a go-around because of a high sink rate and premature touchdown on the threshold of the prepared runway surface. He made a low pass over the airport, and received visual conformation that the landing gear were down from the airport manager. He then made a second approach, and the airplane veered to the left after touchdown. The pilot's attorney notified the Safety Board of the damages to the airplane on December 19, 1996. The pilot in command said that the flight approached the field from the west, with the intent to land on runway 15. He said, '...the winds were variable, visibility was reduced due to haze and the sky was clear of clouds.' He further stated that as he set up for the approach, 'the haze was still present and our visibility was aggravated by the sun angle.' On short final the flight descended below the tree line, and a 'sink rate developed before power could be increased.' The pilot stated that he had to initiate a go-around because of a high sink rate and premature touchdown on the threshold of the prepared runway surface. He made a low pass over the airport, and received visual conformation that the landing gear were down from the airport manager. He then made a second approach, and the airplane veered to the left after touchdown. The pilot's attorney notified the Safety Board of the damages to the airplane on December 19, 1996. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1996_MIA97LA042.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2025 · Conference Paper
A Training Study to Improve Monitoring During A Go-Around
As part of an FAA program to improve go-around (GA) safety, we were asked to determine if we could improve the performance of the Pilot Monitoring (PM) during a GA maneuver.
- Flight Safety Foundation 2024 · FSF / AeroSafety World
Go-Around Safety Forum Findings
Foundation Go-Around Safety Forum technical findings — examines why pilots fail to execute go-arounds when criteria are met (stabilized approach gate not met, energy state out of envelope, traffic con…
- Semantic Scholar 2022 · Article (Journal of Safety Research)
Go-around accidents and general aviation safety.
INTRODUCTION Changes in General Aviation (GA) accident rates, specifically in the go-around phase, are examined by comparing the number of accidents, the proportion of fatal accidents, and the proport…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Aerospace)
Classification and Analysis of Go-Arounds in Commercial Aviation Using ADS-B Data
Go-arounds are a necessary aspect of commercial aviation and are conducted after a landing attempt has been aborted. It is necessary to conduct go-arounds in the safest possible manner, as go-arounds …
- NASA NTRS 2021 · Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Go-Around Criteria Refinement for Transport Category Aircraft
Presently, airline pilots are trained to go around if, when lower than 500 ft above the ground, they are outside of a handful of parameters such as airspeed, position, and rate of descent.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Validation of Proposed Go-Around Criteria Under Various Environmental Conditions
This paper evaluates the effects of environmental conditions on touchdown performance under varying approach states and validates proposed go-around criteria developed using data from a previously con…
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