The pilot reported the landing approach was normal. He asked the local controller for the winds, and was told they were from 260 degrees at seven knots with no reported 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 tailwheel 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 later said, “it felt like a gust of wind lifted the airplane at the last moment.” The airplane “stalled” eight to 10 feet above the runway, striking the ground “extremely hard.” [The NTSB did not state why this event may be classified as either an accident or incident.]
August 12, 2007, San Diego, Calif., Cessna 195
The pilot reported the landing approach was normal. He asked the local controller for the winds, and was told they were from 260 degrees at seven knots with no reported 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 tailwheel 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."
Key Takeaways:
- During a landing approach with reported stable winds (260 at 7 knots, no gusts), the pilot flared for a three-point touchdown.
- As the tailwheel began to touch the runway and the stall warning sounded, the airplane unexpectedly surged upwards.
- The aircraft then "stalled" eight to 10 feet above the runway, resulting in an "extremely hard" impact.
- The pilot believed a sudden gust of wind lifted the airplane at the last moment, causing the hard landing.
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