Glasair 1 N238SH

Summary

On 26 January 2020 at about 22:40 local time, a Glasair 1 registered N238SH was involved in an accident near Greenville, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one 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

26 January 2020 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Greenville, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Majors (GVT)

Coordinates

33.0692, -96.0653

Aircraft

Glasair 1

Registration

N238SH

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dallas → Greenville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA067

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing, and his subsequent loss of airplane control during an attempted go-around.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was the pilot's initial flight in the airplane make and model. The pilot reported that, during the landing, he had no forward visibility. About 10 ft above the runway, he was unable to arrest the descent rate even with the control stick full aft. The airplane touched down hard, and the pilot added power for a go-around. He felt the airplane accelerate and attempted to maintain the airplane in a level attitude; however, the airplane began an uncommanded left roll. The pilot could not regain control of the airplane and reduced power to idle before the airplane touched down again, this time off the edge of the runway. The main landing gear dug into the soft ground, and the airplane spun around backward. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Before the flight, the pilot adjusted the linkage of the elevator to match design specifications. During the flight, he tested the stall characteristics of the airplane. Each time, the airplane stalled about 40 knots. The pilot reported that, at the time of the accident, the airplane was flying about 60 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.