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19960220006419I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 402C · Caldwell, NJ · February 20, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 20, 1996 · 04:15 local
Place
Caldwell, NJ
Airport
Essex County Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N401SX
Reported as
Cessna 402C
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
3,200 total70 in this make and model875 in the last 90 days
N401SXRegistered now · Cessna 402CS/N 402C0447Airframe modelCessna 402CEngine modelContinental TSIO-520 seriesReciprocating

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: N401SX struck deer on runway during landing. The right wheel assembly and lower strut broke off. During final on runway 22, just before touch down, a small herd of deer ran in front of aircraft. The pilot pulled up in an attempt to "balloon," over the deer. One or two deer hit the right gear. The pilot continued with landing. The aircraft left gear touched down, and the right wing continued to settle, till the strut hit the runway. The pilot maintained directional control by differential braking with rudder inputs until aircraft came to a stop; 5 feet off center line approximately 1100 feet from end of runway. Damage: airframe. Right main landing gear strut, outer cylinder, bottom portion broke off. Piston, wheel and tire assembly separated from a main strut. Hydraulic brake line separated from both ends and lodged in the gap, between the right outboard elevator and horizontal stabilizer. Right landing light is scraped on bottom of extended light. Engine and propeller: engine continued to rotate after propeller impacted the runway. Propeller - all three blade tips have 180 to 270 degree reverse bends (approximately 8-10 inches). This investigation is closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: N401SX STRUCK DEER ON RUNWAY DURING LANDING. THE RIGHT WHEEL ASSEMBLY AND LOWER STRUT BROKE OFF. DURING FINAL ON RUNWAY 22, JUST BEFORE TOUCH DOWN, A SMALL HERD OF DEER RAN IN FRONT OF AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT PULLED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO "BALLOON," OVER THE DEER. ONE OR TWO DEER HIT THE RIGHT GEAR. THE PILOT CONTINUED WITH LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT LEFT GEAR TOUCHED DOWN, AND THE RIGHT WING CONTINUED TO SETTLE, TILL THE STRUT HIT THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT MAINTAINED DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BY DIFFERENTIAL BRAKING WITH RUDDER INPUTS UNTIL AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP; 5 FEET OFF CENTER LINE APPROXIMATELY 1100 FEET FROM END OF RUNWAY. DAMAGE: AIRFRAME. RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT, OUTER CYLINDER, BOTTOM PORTION BROKE OFF. PISTON, WHEEL AND TIRE ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM A MAIN STRUT. HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE SEPARATED FROM BOTH ENDS AND LODGED IN THE GAP, BETWEEN THE RIGHT OUTBOARD ELEVATOR AND HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. RIGHT LANDING LIGHT IS SCRAPED ON BOTTOM OF EXTENDED LIGHT. ENGINE AND PROPELLER: ENGINE CONTINUED TO ROTATE AFTER PROPELLER IMPACTED THE RUNWAY. PROPELLER - ALL THREE BLADE TIPS HAVE 180 TO 270 DEGREE REVERSE BENDS (APPROXIMATELY 8-10 INCHES). THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.