GEORGETOWN, CA, USA
N658PM
MARTIN STODDARD HAMILTON II
The private pilot/owner needed 1.7 hours to meet requirements for insurance coverage and was seeking a tail wheel endorsement. He and his instructor departed Sacramento en route to Auburn, and after conducting landing practice at Auburn, they headed for Georgetown. This was the pilot's first visit to the Georgetown airport. The first approach was high and a go-around was executed. On the second approach the aircraft ballooned during the flare and settled to a hard landing. A go-around was initiated but the aircraft departed the runway. After the main landing gear contacted a dense stand of scotch broom vegetation, the airplane came to rest. The pilot and instructor felt a dip in the runway was a factor in the landing sequence.
On November 21, 1998, at 1115 hours Pacific standard time, a Martin Stoddard Hamilton II, N658PM, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at Georgetown, California. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot/owner and his instructor were not injured. The flight departed Sacramento Executive Airport at 1015, flew to Auburn, California, then to Georgetown. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot needed 1.7 hours to fill an insurance requirement for 10 hours of dual instruction. He was also going to receive a tail wheel endorsement. After completing several landings at Auburn, they departed for Georgetown. The pilot stated he had never been to the Georgetown airport. The first approach was high and a go-around was initiated. On the second approach the instructor stated the aircraft ballooned during the flair and then settled to the runway in a hard landing. A full power go-around was initiated, but the aircraft departed the runway. After the landing gear contacted a dense stand of scotch broom vegetation, the aircraft came to a rest. The instructor and pilot felt the ballooning was partially due to a dip in the runway just past the numbers. The propeller, landing gear, and the right aileron and its attachment fittings were substantially damaged.
The pilot's improper flare. Also causal was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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