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WPR13CA028

2012-10-24 · Casa Grande, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CSZ

Current FAA registration · N121L

Make / Model
ARION AIRCRAFT LLC LIGHTNING
Year of manufacture
2010 · 2 years old at event
Engine
JABIRU 3300 (120 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20100726
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A05863

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to follow specified procedures for an aborted landing and loss of control during the attempt.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the landing flare with full flaps selected, the airplane landed hard and bounced back into the air. The pilot aborted the landing by applying full power and retracting the flaps in an effort to regain airspeed. The pilot stated that he was unable to regain airspeed, and kept the wings level until it landed adjacent to the runway. Subsequently, the airplane struck a dirt berm, and came to rest nose low. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right wing was structurally damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot operating handbook for the accident make/model airplane outlines a procedure for balked landings. The procedure states that throttle should be placed full forward, trim set as required, flags positioned to one-half, and retract flaps when above 80 miles per hour and 100 feet above ground level. The pilot reported that during the landing flare with full flaps selected, the airplane landed hard and bounced back into the air. The pilot attempted to abort the landing by applying full power and retracting the flaps in an effort to regain airspeed. The pilot stated that he was unable to regain airspeed and kept the wings level until the airplane landed adjacent to the runway. Subsequently, the airplane struck a dirt berm and came to rest nose low. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing was structurally damaged. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot operating handbook for the make/model of the accident airplane outlines a procedure for balked landings. The procedure states that the throttle should be placed full forward, the trim set as required, and flaps positioned to one-half and then retracted when operating above 80 miles per hour and 100 feet above ground level. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action sequence-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Configuration-Incorrect use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_WPR13CA028.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). All research papers