On February 17, 2007, a Flight Design Gmbh CTSW (registration N7722D) was involved in an aviation accident near Nampa, ID. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's misjudgment of the landing flare and excessive forward elevator input, which resulted in a hard touchdown and structural damage to the firewall. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A student pilot misjudged the flare during landing, causing a hard bounce that overloaded and cracked the aircraft's firewall. No mechanical issues were found prior to the event.
What happened
The light sport airplane experienced a hard touchdown followed by a bounce during the landing phase. The impact was significant enough to overload the airframe structure at the firewall, resulting in a crack. The student pilot operating the aircraft reported that he misjudged the timing of the landing flare. In an attempt to correct the descent, he overreacted by pushing the elevator control stick too far forward, which contributed to the severity of the touchdown.
The investigation
Following the incident, investigators examined the airplane to determine the extent of the damage and the condition of its systems. The examination confirmed that the firewall had cracked due to the structural overload caused by the hard landing. A thorough review of the aircraft's systems revealed no pre-existing mechanical malfunctions or defects that would have contributed to the accident.
Probable cause
The student pilot's misjudgment of the landing flare and excessive forward elevator input, which resulted in a hard touchdown and structural damage to the firewall.