NTSB Factual Report

On November 1, 2002, about 1730 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-24-180, N5129P, experienced a hard bounced landing at the Corona Municipal Airport, Corona, California. Thereafter, the private pilot lost control of the airplane, it veered off runway 25, and its landing gear collapsed. The airplane was substantially damaged. Neither the private pilot nor the airplane owner (passenger), who also held a private pilot certificate, was injured. The airplane was being operated on a personal flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Corona about 1725.

According to the airplane's owner, he had purchased the airplane on October 23, 2002. The owner reported that while he was attending a ground school class at a local community college, his ground school instructor offered to show him how to fly the airplane at no charge. The instructor reportedly stated that after the student was proficient flying the airplane, he could go to a certified flight instructor and obtain a complex airplane logbook endorsement.

On November 1, the two pilots met at the Corona Airport, and the owner proceeded to fly the airplane around the traffic pattern from the left seat. The ground school instructor monitored the owner's performance from the right seat. Upon completion of four full stop landings, the owner offered to let the instructor fly his airplane.

The ground school instructor, who did not hold a certified flight instructor certificate, proceeded to fly the airplane from the right seat. The instructor subsequently reported having 1 hour of flying experience in this model of airplane.

The airplane's owner provided the National Transportation Safety Board investigator with the following (summarized) account of the instructor's performance from commencement of their flight to the accident:

The ground school instructor took control of the airplane and proceeded to taxi to runway 25. He applied full power, rotated too soon, and almost lost control on takeoff. The instructor regained control and executed a touch-and-go with little to no problems. His second attempt was better, and everything was fine while in the pattern. As he was setting up for his second touch-and-go, he was a little low and fast on final while adjusting his speed. He contacted the ground and started to veer to the right with the right edge of the runway well under the right wing. He applied left rudder while pulling the nose up and turning the aileron to the left. The stall warning buzzer went off and he lowered the nose abruptly, striking the runway with the nose wheel and bouncing as the airplane was turning left. The airplane crossed the runway to the left at a sharp angle and bounced around until the airplane came to a stop.

At the time of the accident, a professional pilot was taxiing toward runway 25 for a planned departure. The professional pilot reported to the Safety Board investigator that the accident airplane's approach looked unusual and was not stabilized. The airplane appeared to dive toward the runway and was descending fast. The wings rocked and the airplane yawed. The airplane contacted the runway with its nose and right main wheels first. It then bounced about 20 feet into the air and yawed right. Then it yawed left and contacted the runway with its left main wheel and nose wheel. It bounced up and continued turning left. It hit the ground for the third and last time while in a left wing low attitude.

Under the direction of the Safety Board investigator, the airplane was examined by the proprietor of the Eastman Aircraft Company, Corona, following its recovery from the accident site. According to the proprietor, the examination revealed airframe damage consistent with an airplane having landed diagonally to the runway with the right wing forward. This damage is also consistent with excessive side load to the nose gear and the right main landing gear.

The ground school instructor subsequently acknowledged that, at the time of the accident, he had been the pilot handling the flight controls. In his written statement to the Safety Board investigator he did not describe his approach, but he did state that the accident landing was normal. He reported that after a short rollout of about 100 to 150 feet, the airplane turned right. According to the instructor, he had applied full left pedal and the airplane responded slowly. When the airplane was realigned with the runway, power was applied for stability. The airplane moved left, still aligned with the runway, and then the gear failed.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's misjudged landing flare. Also causal were the pilot's improper bounced landing recovery procedures and inadvertent swerve, resulting in the landing gear collapsing from overload.