19980730027039I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Child S2APITTS · Palm Springs, CA · July 30, 1998

Date: July 30, 1998 · 07:20 local
Place: Palm Springs, CA
Airport: Palm Springs Regional Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N93GP
Reported as: Child S2APITTS
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 100 total30 in this make and model28 in the last 90 days

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.

The pilot who was cleared to land on 31L stated he was approximately 50 feet above the runway and at 90 knots, when the tower asked him if he was landing on 31R. He stated that because the tower questioned his location he started looking around to see if he was over the wrong runway. He asked the tower if he should go around and they advised him to go ahead and land. It was at this precise moment that he said the aircraft just fell out from under him. He told me during an interview with him on the day after the incident that he believed that during the moment of conversation with the tower concerning his location he allowed his concentration to be broken and as a result he allowed to much airspeed to bleed off. The aircraft sustained minor damage and the sole occupant (pilot) was not injured.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WHO WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON 31L STATED HE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY AND AT 90 KNOTS, WHEN THE TOWER ASKED HIM IF HE WAS LANDING ON 31R. HE STATED THAT BECAUSE THE TOWER QUESTIONED HIS LOCATION HE STARTED LOOKING AROUND TO SEE IF HE WAS OVER THE WRONG RUNWAY. HE ASKED THE TOWER IF HE SHOULD GO AROUND AND THEY ADVISED HIM TO GO AHEAD AND LAND. IT WAS AT THIS PRECISE MOMENT THAT HE SAID THE AIRCRAFT JUST FELL OUT FROM UNDER HIM. HE TOLD ME DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH HIM ON THE DAY AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT HE BELIEVED THAT DURING THE MOMENT OF CONVERSATION WITH THE TOWER CONCERNING HIS LOCATION HE ALLOWED HIS CONCENTRATION TO BE BROKEN AND AS A RESULT HE ALLOWED TO MUCH AIRSPEED TO BLEED OFF. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE SOLE OCCUPANT (PILOT) WAS NOT INJURED.