19940319000429I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr Spitfire · Kalamazoo, MI · March 19, 1994

Date: March 19, 1994 · 14:45 local
Place: Kalamazoo, MI
Airport: Kalamazoo County
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N521R
Reported as: Amtr Spitfire
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 15,000 total6,000 in this make and model

N521RRegistered now · Vickers SPITFIRE MARK IXS/N CBAF-1X-1886 · Built 1943 Airframe modelVickers SPITFIRE MARK IX Engine modelRolls-Royce MERLINReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the wind was 220 at 8-10 knots upon landing. After landing on RWY17 the tower advised the pilot the wind was now 300 at 8-10 knots. This windshear condition caused the aircraft to weathervane to starboard. The aircraft left the runway and ran into a depression in the ground causing it to stop suddenly and the nose of the aircraft to strike the ground. Three of the four blades on the prop were damaged. There were no injuries. The runway change to 35 from 17 after this incident is strong evidence the wind shift occurred.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE WIND WAS 220 AT 8-10 KNOTS UPON LANDING. AFTER LANDING ON RWY17 THE TOWER ADVISED THE PILOT THE WIND WAS NOW 300 AT 8-10 KNOTS. THIS WINDSHEAR CONDITION CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO WEATHERVANE TO STARBOARD. THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE RUNWAY AND RAN INTO A DEPRESSION IN THE GROUND CAUSING IT TO STOP SUDDENLY AND THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO STRIKE THE GROUND. THREE OF THE FOUR BLADES ON THE PROP WERE DAMAGED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE RUNWAY CHANGE TO 35 FROM 17 AFTER THIS INCIDENT IS STRONG EVIDENCE THE WIND SHIFT OCCURRED.