The student pilot owned the Beech A23 Musketeer and was receiving instruction in it.
He was attempting to land in a gusty wind on Runway 25, a 5,002-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway at the airport in Somerset, Pennsylvania. The airplane initially touched down on the runway, but then “ballooned” back into the air.
The airplane subsequently drifted right off the runway and the student pilot attempted to abort the landing. However, the airplane descended and hit a runway sign. It came to rest upright in a grass area between the runway and the taxiway.
A post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed that the left flap and left main landing gear had separated. Additionally, the left wing and right elevator sustained substantial damage. The examination did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
The recorded wind about the time of the accident was from 250° at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Probable Cause: The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control and the flight instructor’s lack of remedial action during a landing attempt in a gusty wind, which resulted in a loss of directional control and runway excursion.
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This March 2024 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Of course the plane ballooned on touchdown – when you land with a tailwind, that’s going to happen. If you are training for that, that’s one thing… but a student landing with an additional 8 knot gusty tailwind? That’s just stupid, and it is not surprising to crash with a reluctant instructor sitting on his hands. an 11 knot tailwind landing is tough enough for a student. It “ballooned”; is that like “it broke”?
The CFI needs a flight review for instruction.
I’d like to see a Rogues Gallery of incompetent flight instructors hanging on the wall of a Hall of Shame. They aren’t worth their pay in an emergency, they’re robbing their students.
Regards/J
Too many accidents with instructors aboard? Scratch another legacy aircraft ….
The CFI allowed the student to recover when it appeared that the student was way over his head?
Too bad it had to happen and no injuries……