NYC96LA153

Factual narrative

On July 18, 1996, about 1240 eastern daylight time, a Kolb Mark III, a homebuilt, N695WM, received minor damage during a hard landing at a private airstrip near Gowanda, New York. The private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In the NTSB form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated: "On landing approach, I let the airspeed get too low, the aircraft hit the runway hard enough to damage the gear and fuselage." The pilot also reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane, and that he had a total flight experience of 272 hours, of which 6 were in this make and model. The pilot was conducting a visual approach and landing to his private airstrip. He stated, 'On landing approach, I let the airspeed get too low, the aircraft hit the runway hard enough to damage the gear and fuselage.' He also reported that there were no malfunctions with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12