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WPR15CA093

2015-01-25 · Hanford, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport HJO

Current FAA registration · N559KC

Make / Model
FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS
Year of manufacture
2014 · 1 years old at event
Engine
ROTAX 912IS2 (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20141220
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A721BE

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he was on a straight-in approach for landing during touchdown; the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot attempted to land the airplane for the second time; however, the airplane's nose dropped, resulting in a second bounce. The pilot made a decision to go around and added power. During the takeoff, the airplane bounced again and then lifted off. The second landing attempt resulted in another hard landing. The pilot initiated another go-around and landed the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. In the section titled "RECOMMENDATION" in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Report, form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had more experience flying this type and model of an airplane. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot reported that he was on a straight-in approach for landing during touchdown; the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot attempted to land the airplane for the second time; however, the airplane's nose dropped, resulting in a second bounce. The pilot made a decision to go around and added power. During the takeoff, the airplane bounced again and then lifted off. The second landing attempt resulted in another hard landing. The pilot initiated another go-around and landed the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall. In the section titled "RECOMMENDATION" in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Report, form 6120.1/2, the pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had more experience flying this type and model of an airplane. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operations. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_WPR15CA093.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (go-around). All research papers