Falcon Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Mesa, Arizona 85215
Saturday, March 19, 2011 11:58 MST

The pilot reported that during the landing flare on the 5,100-foot-long runway, he encountered an "unusual amount" of ground effect, which resulted in prolonged floating of the airplane. He stated that he then added power to "overcome the ground effect" and land the airplane. The pilot's addition of power would have prolonged, not reduced, the float. The pilot then decided to abort the landing; he applied full power and retracted the flaps. An air traffic controller reported that during the attempted balked landing, the airplane reached an estimated altitude of 50 to 75 feet above ground level before it sank to and impacted the runway. In contrast, the pilot reported that he was 5 to 6 feet above the runway when the airplane sank. The airplane impacted the runway about midfield in a relatively level attitude, veered left, and struck a parked airplane. Ground scars and airplane damage indicated that the engine was developing power at ground impact. No pre-existing mechanical deficiencies or failures that would have precluded normal operation were observed. Performance data in the pilot’s operating handbook indicated that for the ambient conditions the airplane should have been able to climb away with either full- or half-flaps, which is the specified balked landing flap setting. However, the flaps were found in the fully retracted position. Ground scars and airplane damage were consistent with a partial or full stall just above the runway, at an altitude likely higher than the pilot's estimate but lower than the altitude estimated by the controller. It is likely that the stall resulted from the pilot's premature retraction of the flaps at too low an airspeed, and his attempt to climb the airplane out of ground effect, as evidenced by the midfield initial impact location. The airplane's ability to climb out of ground effect was hampered by the improper flap setting.

The pilot's attempt to correct a landing float by adding power, followed by his premature attempt to climb the airplane out of ground effect during a balked landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to properly configure the flaps for the balked landing attempt.