Seela Gerald L GLASAIR SH 2F N666GJ

Summary

On 8 June 2016 at about 17:25 local time, a Seela Gerald L GLASAIR SH 2F registered N666GJ was involved in an accident near State College, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was 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

8 June 2016 at 17:25

Classification

Accident

Location

State College, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

University Park (UNV)

Coordinates

40.8492, -77.8486

Aircraft

Seela Gerald L GLASAIR SH 2F

Registration

N666GJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1989

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Huntington → State College

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA315

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's hard landing in gusting wind conditions. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's unfamiliarity with the newly purchased airplane's throttle resulting in an unstable approach, and the pilot's ability to compensate for the wind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was returning to his home airport after purchasing the accident airplane, but prior to returning home, the pilot had received a two hour checkout in the airplane. Upon arrival, the weather had deteriorated, rain made it hard to see and the wind was gusting. The pilot reported that he had to go around during the first landing due to the wind. He reported that during the second landing he undercompensated for the wind and the airplane landed hard, bounced and touched down again off the left side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that during both approaches he had trouble manipulating the throttle; it appeared to stick and unstick at times making engine performance and power application erratic, resulting in an unstabilized approach, and compensation for the gusting wind difficult. The wind at the airport at the time of the accident was reported as 310 degrees true, 18 knots, with gusts to 35 knots. The pilot landed runway 24, and reported that he should have chosen another airport with a crosswind runway. Further, following the accident, the pilot realized that he was not familiar enough with the airplane's Vernier type throttle, as his past experience was with a lever type throttle. An FAA inspector who examined the airplane after the accident reported that the Vernier throttle operated normally.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.