NTSB Factual Report

On December 31, 2006, approximately 1430 mountain standard time, a Mino Kitfox 3, N928LM, was substantially damaged when during landing the airplane impacted the runway and subsequently nosed over at the Fremont County Airport (1V6), Canon City, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The private pilot and flight instructor on board the airplane sustained serious head and neck injuries during the accident. The local flight originated approximately 1400.

The instructor pilot said that they took off and proceeded southeast of the airport to do area work. After about 30 minutes of practicing left and right coordinated turns and power on stalls, they returned to the traffic pattern. The instructor pilot said they entered the traffic pattern on a left base leg for runway 29 (5,399 feet by 75 feet, dry, asphalt). He said, "Our turn to final was low, flat, at about 65 miles per hour with no flaps." He said that on final he reminded the pilot of the right crosswind and to be sure that they touched down with no crab. The instructor pilot said, "We touched down with a slight right crab, bounced, the stick was pushed forward and we bounced again. On each bounce we continued to turn right. The left wingtip was dragging on the runway. At this time the left main wheel axle failed which caused us to nose up and over on our back."

The pilot said he entered the traffic pattern intending to do touch and goes on runway 29. He said he lined up with the runway and noticed a small crab to the right. "As I crossed the threshold, I corrected for the slight crosswind and continued my approach and touched down on the mains rather hard and bounced. I noticed we were a little right of the center line and I added left rudder to bring us back to center when I saw the left wing dropping and scraping the wing tip. I moved the stick to the right to raise the wing but at the same time was not able to maintain directional control and then almost immediately the nose was pointed down at the runway and the spinning propeller was splintered on the ground. The aircraft was standing on its nose and slowly flipped over on its back."

The airport's maintenance technician said he was standing outside the door of the fixed base operator office watching the airplane come in. He said that the airplane looked okay. The airplane was level and there was no "wobbling." He said, "I didn't think anything of it. It looked like a normal landing. Then the wheel dug in, abeam the west edge of taxiway A-2, and they flipped over."

At 1553, the Routine Aviation Weather Report for Pueblo, Colorado, 089 degrees at 33 nautical miles from 1V6, was clear skies, 10 miles visibility, temperature 37-degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 19-degrees F, winds 250 degrees at 3 knots, and altimeter 30.18 inches. A local detective who responded to the scene said that there was very little wind on the airport. The skies were clear and the runway was dry.

An examination of the airplane showed the left main landing gear axle bent inward and broken aft. The left main landing gear leg was bent inward. The landing gear box frame was bent inward. The aft fuselage was bent downward aft of the cabin. The tops of the vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed downward. The left wing tip showed scrapes. The front and upper cowling were bent aft. The propeller blades were broken off at the hub and splintered. The runway showed several scrapes and gouges running east to west down the runway in the vicinity of the A-2 taxiway, approximately 2,500 feet from the runway threshold. The largest gouge measured 20 feet in length. The airplane came to rest inverted facing east approximately 65 feet from the first gouge. Dark rubber skid marks were found at two locations on the runway, preceding the first gouge. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the airplane's systems showed no anomalies.

NTSB Probable Cause

The certificated flight instructor's failure to adequately supervise the dual student during the landing flare-touchdown, which resulted in a hard landing and a nose over. A factor associated with the accident is the dual student's improper recovery from a bounced landing.