19961102038399I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32R-300 · Soggy Dry Lake, CA · November 2, 1996

Date: November 2, 1996 · 17:00 local
Place: Soggy Dry Lake, CA
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N626JD
Reported as: Piper PA32R300
Reported engine: Lycoming TIO540*
People aboard: 4
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 450 total11 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

N626JDRegistration cancelled Oct 28, 2013 · Piper PA-32R-300S/N 32R-7680084 · Built 1975 Airframe modelPiper PA-32R-300 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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: corrected copy; after landing for fuel at high desert airport (L80), pilot and his three passengers departed for apple valley airport (apv). En-route, weather ahead of the flight looked questionable, the sun was about to set, and the engine started running rough. Pilot elected to make a precautionary landing on a dry lake bed. On roll out, the nose gear folded on the retractable gear Piper. Aircraft came to a stop without further incident. There were no injuries and damage to the aircraft was limited to the nose gear and the propeller. Aircraft was inspected by owner's A&P and was determined to be ferryable with a new propeller. Pilot provided an estimate of the weather at the landing site at 0630 local. Sky overcast, visibility 20 in light rain, winds westerly at 10 mph, temperature 50 degrees f. this incident is closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: CORRECTED COPY; AFTER LANDING FOR FUEL AT HIGH DESERT AIRPORT (L80), PILOT AND HIS THREE PASSENGERS DEPARTED FOR APPLE VALLEY AIRPORT (APV). EN-ROUTE, WEATHER AHEAD OF THE FLIGHT LOOKED QUESTIONABLE, THE SUN WAS ABOUT TO SET, AND THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING ON A DRY LAKE BED. ON ROLL OUT, THE NOSE GEAR FOLDED ON THE RETRACTABLE GEAR PIPER. AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED TO THE NOSE GEAR AND THE PROPELLER. AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED BY OWNER'S A&P AND WAS DETERMINED TO BE FERRYABLE WITH A NEW PROPELLER. PILOT PROVIDED AN ESTIMATE OF THE WEATHER AT THE LANDING SITE AT 0630 LOCAL. SKY OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 20 IN LIGHT RAIN, WINDS WESTERLY AT 10 MPH, TEMPERATURE 50 DEGREES F. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED.