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19971028037039A

Accident · Substantial damage
Open the Markdown

FAA accident report · Pilats PC6B1H2 · Lexington, TX · October 28, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 28, 1997 · 09:38 local
Place
Lexington, TX
Airport
Sky Dive Port
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N19TX
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW98LA035
Reported as
Pilats PC6B1H2
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A20
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
4,800 total400 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days
N19TXRegistered now · Pilatus PC-6/B2-H2S/N 684Airframe modelPilatus PC-6/B2-H2Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A 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.

Landed near edge of new strip. Encountered a swale. Right main folded due unknown weakness. Wing fuselage damage. (.23) the aircraft hit a small rut in the turf on rollout. It bounced, hitting the right wingtip and damaging the aileron. Both main gear collapsed into the fuselage. The reason for the gear collapse is unknown. (.4) the pilot was delivering an airplane to a new airstrip. He had been driven to the airstrip to inspect it before the first landing. While landing to the south during the airstrip's inaugural landing, the pilot lined up to land on the east side of the new runway, and the airplane touched down on an unimproved portion of the airstrip. During the landing roll on the unimproved portion, while rolling at approximately 25 knots, the landing gear impacted a swale, one of which the pilot had been briefed about, earlier. The right main landing gear collapsed. The severity of the damage incurred by the right main landing gear was found not to be compatible with the physical evidence found at the accident site. The operator, pilot, drop zone manager, and FAA inspector concurred that the failure of the landing gear was not the direct result of impacting a low rise of soft dirt at low speed. The aircraft records did not reflect any previous accident history or damage that could have led to the failure of the landing gear. The reason for the failure of the right main landing gear could not be verified.

As the FAA filed it

LANDED NEAR EDGE OF NEW STRIP. ENCOUNTERED A SWALE. RIGHT MAIN FOLDED DUE UNKNOWN WEAKNESS. WING FUSELAGE DAMAGE. (.23) THE AIRCRAFT HIT A SMALL RUT IN THE TURF ON ROLLOUT. IT BOUNCED, HITTING THE RIGHT WINGTIP AND DAMAGING THE AILERON. BOTH MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED INTO THE FUSELAGE. THE REASON FOR THE GEAR COLLAPSE IS UNKNOWN. (.4) THE PILOT WAS DELIVERING AN AIRPLANE TO A NEW AIRSTRIP. HE HAD BEEN DRIVEN TO THE AIRSTRIP TO INSPECT IT BEFORE THE FIRST LANDING. WHILE LANDING TO THE SOUTH DURING THE AIRSTRIP'S INAUGURAL LANDING, THE PILOT LINED UP TO LAND ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE NEW RUNWAY, AND THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON AN UNIMPROVED PORTION OF THE AIRSTRIP. DURING THE LANDING ROLL ON THE UNIMPROVED PORTION, WHILE ROLLING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 KNOTS, THE LANDING GEAR IMPACTED A SWALE, ONE OF WHICH THE PILOT HAD BEEN BRIEFED ABOUT, EARLIER. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE SEVERITY OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED BY THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS FOUND NOT TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE FOUND AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE OPERATOR, PILOT, DROP ZONE MANAGER, AND FAA INSPECTOR CONCURRED THAT THE FAILURE OF THE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT THE DIRECT RESULT OF IMPACTING A LOW RISE OF SOFT DIRT AT LOW SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT RECORDS DID NOT REFLECT ANY PREVIOUS ACCIDENT HISTORY OR DAMAGE THAT COULD HAVE LED TO THE FAILURE OF THE LANDING GEAR. THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COULD NOT BE VERIFIED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB FTW98LA035Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportLexington, TXthe pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. A factor relating to the accident was: the uneven terrain (with swales) at the edge of the landing area.Oct 28, 1997 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N19TX · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20141110021669ILanding: Approach · Lebanon, MEPilot was flying downwind and said he experienced a temporary loss of power. He immediately turned the aircraft to land in the clearing next to the runway. He got wings level and tried to land resulting in a hard landing.Nov 10, 2014 · Substantial damage