No fatalities

25 Oct 2018: Airplane Factory Sport Light — Carson City, NV

Carson City, NV, United States

On 25 Oct 2018, an Airplane Factory Sport Light was involved in an aviation accident near Carson City, NV. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 4 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A student pilot on his second solo flight experienced a hard landing during a touch and go, followed by rudder pedal issues and a veer off the runway after nose wheel touchdown. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount.

Incident Details

During his second solo flight, a student pilot was conducting a touch and go maneuver. The pilot reported that the airplane landed "very" hard and bounced twice before he initiated a go-around. While turning base, he noticed that the rudder pedals were not responding to his commands, and he sensed that the nose landing gear had been damaged.

Landing and Runway Excursion

On the subsequent landing, immediately after the nose wheel touched down, the airplane veered to the right and exited the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount.

Pilot Report

The student pilot stated that prior to the hard landing, there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilot