Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a stall and a hard landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The sport pilot reported that he was relocating the experimental amateur-built airplane to his short home airstrip, which was bordered by trees, grapevines, and a pond. He performed three precautionary approaches to the runway in order to assess the wind conditions, and on the final approach elected to land. The airplane made contact with the runway short of his intended touchdown point; it landed hard and bounced, collapsing the nose landing gear. He said he flared the airplane early, prior to touchdown, and it subsequently stalled about 5 feet above the ground. The pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and left wing spar during the accident sequence. The accident flight was the first time he had landed at the airstrip.
Source record
Factual narrative
On August 18, 2011, about 1530 Pacific daylight time, a Juneau (Zenith Aircraft Company) STOL CH-701, N701BZ, landed hard at a private grass airstrip near Snohomish, Washington. The owner/builder was operating the experimental amateur-built airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The sport pilot was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and left wing spar during the accident sequence. The flight departed Arlington Municipal Airport, Arlington, Washington, about 1500. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot reported that he was relocating the airplane to his home airstrip, and that trees, grapevines, and a pond bordered the intended landing area. He performed three precautionary approaches to the east runway in order to assess the wind conditions, and on the final approach elected to land. The airplane made contact with the ground about 60 feet short of his intended touchdown point; it landed hard and bounced, collapsing the nose landing gear. He reported that he flared the airplane early prior to touchdown, and it subsequently stalled about 5 feet above the ground. The pilot stated that this was the first time he had landed at the airstrip, which was about 500 feet long. According to Zenith Aircraft Company, the airplane has a ground roll landing distance of between 80 and 140 feet. The airplane's total time since manufacture was 35 flight hours, and as such, it had not yet completed its 40 hours of Phase One experimental operating limitations. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 126 hours, 35 of which were in the accident airplane. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.