# Accident 19970508009699A: Piper PA23250, Jacksonville, FL, May 8, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 8, 1997, 09:51 local time
- Place: Jacksonville, FL
- Airport: Herlong Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.3496° N, 81.6408° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3496&lon=-81.6408&mi=10
- Aircraft: N520SM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N520SM-2000-08-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250
- Reported engine: LYC IO540*
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 20,000 total, 250 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL97LA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA071) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970508009699A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOW PASS TO CHECK GEAR DOORS. HIT HILL AVOIDING EGRETS. BENT PROP. LANDED GEAR UP OFF END RWY. (-23) THE PILOT REQUESTED A LOW PASS OVER THE NON-CONTROLLED AIRPORT FOR A VISUAL CHECK OF THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR.  WHILE DOING SO OVER GRASSY AREA, A FLOCK OF BIRDS (IGRETS) FLEW UP IN FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT.  THE PILOT INITIATED AN EVASIVE MANEUVER TO AVOID THE BIRDS.  AT THIS POINT HE IMPACTED THE GROUND. HE BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN.  THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT PERFORMING PROPERLY, HE FLEW APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE IMPACTED THE GROUND AGAIN IN A ROUGH PLOWED FIELD ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT PROPERTY JUST SHORT OF THE FREE LINE.  THE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ATL97LA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA071), May 8, 1997: Piper PA-23-250 (N520SM), Jacksonville, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while on a low pass, leading to propeller damage. A factor was birds in the area.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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