19970404009179I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Tmpson NAVION A · Lakeland, FL · April 4, 1997

Date: April 4, 1997 · 11:30 local
Place: Lakeland, FL
Airport: Lakeland Regional Airport
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N222LW
Reported as: Tmpson Naviona
Reported engine: Continental E2258
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,000 total580 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

N222LWRegistered now · Ryan NAVION AS/N NAV-4-1899 · Built 1949 Airframe modelRyan NAVION A Engine modelContinental E185 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: during aircraft arrival operations at sun 'n fun fly-in, the airplane was directed by a ground marshal to a parking area. As the airplane was taxiing and turning off a paved service road onto a grassy area, the airplane nosewheel went into a small ditch-like depression in the ground and the nosegear collapsed. The airplane sustained a propeller strike and sudden engine stoppage, and the bottom of the airplane nose sustained minor damage. Examination of the site revealed that the depression was hidden from view by grass. Sun 'n fun personnel subsequently placed marker cones around the depression, to prevent other aircraft from taxiing into it.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: DURING AIRCRAFT ARRIVAL OPERATIONS AT SUN 'N FUN FLY-IN, THE AIRPLANE WAS DIRECTED BY A GROUND MARSHAL TO A PARKING AREA. AS THE AIRPLANE WAS TAXIING AND TURNING OFF A PAVED SERVICE ROAD ONTO A GRASSY AREA, THE AIRPLANE NOSEWHEEL WENT INTO A SMALL DITCH-LIKE DEPRESSION IN THE GROUND AND THE NOSEGEAR COLLAPSED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED A PROPELLER STRIKE AND SUDDEN ENGINE STOPPAGE, AND THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRPLANE NOSE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. EXAMINATION OF THE SITE REVEALED THAT THE DEPRESSION WAS HIDDEN FROM VIEW BY GRASS. SUN 'N FUN PERSONNEL SUBSEQUENTLY PLACED MARKER CONES AROUND THE DEPRESSION, TO PREVENT OTHER AIRCRAFT FROM TAXIING INTO IT.