Fpna LLC A-22 VALOR accident near Fresno, California, September 23, 2011
On September 23, 2011 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Fpna LLC A-22 VALOR, registered N730FP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fresno, California (Fresno Chandler Executive Airp airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2011 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Fresno, California · Fresno Chandler Executive Airp · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fpna LLC A-22 VALOR · all A-22 VALORs on the register
- Registration
- N730FP · registry record · serial 288
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot made several landings with his flight instructor on board. The instructor then exited the airplane and signed the student pilot off for his first solo flight. Two landings were uneventful, but on the third landing, the airplane ballooned during the flare. The airplane then pitched over and landed hard on the nose. A postaccident examination determined that the firewall had buckled.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 12 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 212 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 2011; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Central Valley Sportplanes INC
The flight
- Departed from: FCH Fresno CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: FCH Fresno CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,630 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KFCH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 12, 2011. 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 | PDF, 9 pages | 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
- N730FP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Fpna Llc A-22 8 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS 62 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Fresno Chandler Executive · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,727 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA478.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.