Amateur-built DHC2 accident near Plattsburgh, New York, April 12, 2009
On April 12, 2009 at about 1:00 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC2, registered N258PA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Plattsburgh, New York (Plattsburgh International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper application of brakes during the landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2009 · about 1:00 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Plattsburgh, New York · Plattsburgh International · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC2 III
- Registration
- N258PA · registry record · serial 1690TB58
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, seated in the left seat, was performing touch-and-go practice in the tailwheel-equipped airplane and had just performed a short-field landing and takeoff. Upon landing again, the pilot began to apply braking to the airplane. The owner/pilot-rated passenger, seated in the right seat, felt the "tail coming off the ground" and applied full back pressure on the control column. As the owner informed the pilot to "get off the brakes," the pilot applied more toe brake pressure, causing the tail of the airplane to rise and the propeller to strike the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing aft attachment point was fractured. Metallurgical examination revealed that the right wing failed in forward bending due to an overstress event; the most likely source of the overstress was the propeller strike.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Incorrect use/operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › Attach fittings (on wing) › Capability exceeded other cases naming the airframe structure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,096 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 10, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,850 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 25, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 5,370 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6-20 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Clemente Motor Inc
The flight
- Departed from: LKP Lake Placid NY at 11:30 am
- Destination: PBG Plattsburgh NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 11,758 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from PBK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on June 20, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot/owner) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Materials Laboratory 15 - Factual Report 09-092 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Plattsburgh Weather | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 1: Right Wing Leading Edge Attach Point Damage (Courtesy of the FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 2: Right Wing Trailing Edge Attach Point Damage (Courtesy of the FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N258PA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6-20 15 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Plattsburgh International · nearest airport
- Lake Placid Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA09LA244.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.