Cessna 195 N1031D

Summary

On 12 August 2007 at about 20:45 local time, a Cessna 195 registered N1031D was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 August 2007 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Nearest airport

Gillespie Field (SEE)

Coordinates

32.8261, -116.9725

Aircraft

Cessna 195

Registration

N1031D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ely → San Diego

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07CA230

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate compensation for a wind gust that ballooned the airplane during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the wind gust.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the landing approach to runway 27R was normal. He asked the local controller for the winds and was told they were from 260 degrees at 7 knots with no reported wind gusts. He flared the airplane for a touchdown in "a three point landing attitude." As expected, he heard the stall warning horn go off, felt the tail wheel begin to touch the runway and was expecting the main gear wheels to touch when he "felt the airplane quickly surge up and then slam down." The pilot reported that "it felt like a gust of wind lifted the airplane at the last moment." The airplane "stalled" at an altitude of 8 to 10 feet above the runway and struck the ground "extremely hard."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.