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19960505013549I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Waco UPF-7 · Lawrence, MA · May 5, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 5, 1996 · 11:42 local
Place
Lawrence, MA
Airport
Lawrence Municipal
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N32027
Reported as
Waco UPF7
Reported engine
Continental W6706A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
32,000 total150 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days
N32027Registered now · Waco UPF-7S/N 5658 · Built 1941Airframe modelWaco UPF-7Engine modelContinental W670 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: N32027 was landing Lawrence Municipal Airport (lwm) on runway 320. The wind was at 360 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots. During the landing sequence, the aircraft started drifting off to the left, and contacted a rigid runway light off to the left of the runway. The rigid runway lights are approximately three feet off the ground, and approximately ten feet away from the active runway. If the pilot had elected to continue his roll-out after contacting the runway light, he would have rolled out into a very muddy, soft grass area, and could have easily flipped the aircraft over, or worse. The pilot decided to abort the landing attempt, and at approximately twenty feet in the air and sinking, the pilot added take-off power to go-around. The pilot remembered hearing a loud bump just after adding take-off power. The pilot continued around and landed the aircraft without any further incident. After landing, and inspection of the aircraft, it was revealed that the "rigid runway light" had dented the leading edge of the lower wing approximately five feet inboard, and had torn a hole in the underside of the fabric approximately three feet long. There was also a la rge dent in the left lower aileron and lower wing spar.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: N32027 WAS LANDING LAWRENCE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (LWM) ON RUNWAY 320. THE WIND WAS AT 360 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 20 KNOTS. DURING THE LANDING SEQUENCE, THE AIRCRAFT STARTED DRIFTING OFF TO THE LEFT, AND CONTACTED A RIGID RUNWAY LIGHT OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY. THE RIGID RUNWAY LIGHTS ARE APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET OFF THE GROUND, AND APPROXIMATELY TEN FEET AWAY FROM THE ACTIVE RUNWAY. IF THE PILOT HAD ELECTED TO CONTINUE HIS ROLL-OUT AFTER CONTACTING THE RUNWAY LIGHT, HE WOULD HAVE ROLLED OUT INTO A VERY MUDDY, SOFT GRASS AREA, AND COULD HAVE EASILY FLIPPED THE AIRCRAFT OVER, OR WORSE. THE PILOT DECIDED TO ABORT THE LANDING ATTEMPT, AND AT APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FEET IN THE AIR AND SINKING, THE PILOT ADDED TAKE-OFF POWER TO GO-AROUND. THE PILOT REMEMBERED HEARING A LOUD BUMP JUST AFTER ADDING TAKE-OFF POWER. THE PILOT CONTINUED AROUND AND LANDED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT ANY FURTHER INCIDENT. AFTER LANDING, AND INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT, IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE "RIGID RUNWAY LIGHT" HAD DENTED THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LOWER WING APPROXIMATELY FIVE FEET INBOARD, AND HAD TORN A HOLE IN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FABRIC APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET LONG. THERE WAS ALSO A LA RGE DENT IN THE LEFT LOWER AILERON AND LOWER WING SPAR.