Czech Aircraft Works SportCruiser N524SC accident near Emporia, Virginia

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing. Contributing to the accident was the improperly marked airspeed indicator and the airplane manufacturer's improper airspeed information.

NTSB analysis

While landing the Special Light Sport Aircraft at an airport during his first solo cross-country flight, the student pilot encountered a strong wind gust during the downwind to base turn. After turning into the final leg he was "well above the approach path indicator." He then encountered difficulty in “getting the plane on the runway.” During the flare the airplane floated and he applied a “small amount of power,” to keep the airplane from stalling. As the airplane flew above the runway it drifted to the left. After the airplane touched down, the student heard and felt the left main landing gear impact something. Recorded winds at the accident airport were variable at 7 knots. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had struck a runway light with its left main landing gear. The airplane's fuselage structure had come into contact with a bell crank during the accident, and a rod end that attached to the bell crank broke. This rendered the pitch control system inoperative. The student pilot stated that he should have "gone around," but he was a "little confused about the airspeed at the time." As a result of this statement, NTSB investigators examined photographic evidence of the airplane's cockpit, and the airspeed information that was published in the airplane manufacturer's Pilot Operating Handbook (POH). The examinations revealed that the airspeed indicator's indicator and airspeed color code range markings did not agree with the information published in the supplied airplane manufacturer's POH and also that the markings were inaccurate. This could lead to confusion as well as an accident, as the indicated airspeed is an important value for the pilot as it directly indicates stall speed and various airframe structurally limited speeds, regardless of density altitude. Furthermore, it was discovered that the stall speed information and airspeed indicator calibration information published in the POH in many cases was inaccurate and contained large differences (in several instances almost 20 knots) between the published indicated airspeeds and the published calibrated airspeeds.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09LA111 for the full record.