Cirrus SR20 N875SB

Summary

On 18 December 2023 at about 22:35 local time, a Cirrus SR20 registered N875SB, operated by SkyBlue Aviation, was involved in an accident near Pahokee, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 December 2023 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Pahokee, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Palm Beach County Glades (PHK)

Coordinates

26.7841, -80.6932

Aircraft

Cirrus SR20

Registration

N875SB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2021

Engines

1

Operator

SkyBlue Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Palm Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA068

2 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor’s failure to maintain control of the airplane after encountering a wind gust during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident occurred during a transition training instructional flight, and the pilot receiving instruction had not previously logged any flight experience in the accident airplane make and model. The pilot receiving instruction reported that on final approach they entered a side slip to align with the runway. The airplane was stable approaching the threshold but once past the threshold the airplane started to drift to the right of the centerline. The pilot called for a go-around and controls were passed to the flight instructor. The flight instructor stated that 20-30 feet above the runway the tail began to swing from left to right and he took control of the airplane. The airplane floated over the runway for a few seconds while he used the rudder to compensate for the unexpected gust of wind. The flight instructor stated that the airplane became difficult to control before one wing contacted the runway. The tail structure separated from the fuselage and the fuselage, engine mount, and both wings were substantially damaged. The flight instructor stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.