Aviation Accident Summaries

Aviation Accident Summary DEN02LA108

Spanish Fork, UT, USA

Aircraft #1

N8369H

Stinson L-5E

Analysis

The airplane landed hard and bounced, and the pilot added power. When the airplane touched down again, the nose had drifted to the right and the airplane departed the runway. The pilot said, "I don't believe I applied sufficient rudder to offset the p-factor of the added power." The left main landing gear dropped into a hole and broke off. The airplane fell to the ground, damaging the outboard portion of the left wing spar and wing tip. The wooden prop was shattered, the firewall was wrinkled, and the carburetor and exhaust system were damaged.

Factual Information

On September 14, 2002, approximately 1130 mountain daylight time, a Stinson L-5E, N8369H, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain following a hard landing at Spanish Fork-Springville Airport, Spanish Fork, Utah. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated approximately 1040 from Nephi Municipal Airport, Nephi, Utah. According to the pilot's accident report and a previous telephone conversation, the airplane landed hard and bounced. The pilot said he added power. When the airplane touched down, "the nose had drifted to the right" and the airplane departed the runway. "I don't believe I applied sufficient rudder to offset the p-factor of the added power," the pilot wrote. The left main landing gear dropped into a hole and broke off. The airplane fell to the ground, damaging the outboard portion of the left wing spar and wing tip. The wooden prop was shattered, the firewall was wrinkled, and the carburetor and exhaust system were damaged.

Probable Cause and Findings

the pilot's inadequate use of rudder and failure to maintain direcctional control following a bounced landing. A contributing factor was the pilot's improper recovery from the bounced landing.

 

Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database

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