| Crash location | 30.611944°N, 81.461111°W |
| Nearest city | Fernandina Beach, FL
30.669682°N, 81.462592°W 4.0 miles away |
| Tail number | N99HB |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 18 Mar 2015 |
| Aircraft type | Lanshe Aerospace Lake 250 |
| Additional details: | None |
On March 18, 2015, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Lanshe Aerospace Lake 250, N99HB, operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged while landing at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (FHB), Fernandina Beach, Florida. The private pilot was seriously injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from Georgetown County Airport (GGE), Georgetown, South Carolina, about 1700.
Earlier during the day, the pilot flew the airplane uneventfully from South Jersey Regional Airport (VAY), Mount Holly, New Jersey, to GGE, where it was refueled.
Several witnesses at FHB reported that the airplane performed a go-around during its first approach, which was to runway 4. During the second attempt, the airplane approached runway 13, a 5,152-foot-long asphalt runway. The airplane touched down more than halfway down runway 13 and bounced several times, before coming to rest near the end of the runway.
The pilot reported to a responding law enforcement officer that the airplane encountered windshear during the approach. The responding officer also observed that the landing gear was in the retracted position. Due to her injuries, the pilot was unable to complete the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed that she had accumulated a total flight experience of approximately 710 hours, of which, about 110 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. Prior to the day of the accident, the pilot's most recent flight was October 12, 2014, in the accident airplane.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the landing gear handle was in the "UP" position and the landing gear was retracted. The inspector also noted substantial damage to the lower fuselage.
During recovery, a mechanic extended the landing gear normally and noted that the system appeared fully functional.
The recorded weather at an airport located about 14 miles south of the accident site, at 1852, included wind from 360 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear during the approach, which resulted in a gear-up landing.