19980819036059I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr Fisher · Indiana, PA · August 19, 1998

Date: August 19, 1998 · 14:15 local
Place: Indiana, PA
Airport: Indiana Co/Jimmy Stewart Fld A
Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N24PK
Reported as: Amtr Fisher
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 400 total

N24PKRegistration cancelled May 9, 2013 · Schmidt G/Wyne R FISHER CLASSICS/N CO123 · Built 1997 Airframe modelSchmidt G/Wyne R FISHER CLASSIC Engine modelBombardier ROTAX (ALL)Reciprocating

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.

(-5) The pilot wrote that the first indication of any trouble was in establishing the climb. The nose was tending to pitch up and the elevator was not very effective to bring the nose down. With full power, the nose would not come down. At about three hundred feet, the pilot reduced the power some and the elevator seemed to be more effective. The pilot decided to land the aircraft and did so into a field containing high grass, causing him to flare too high. When the gear hit the high grass, the nose pitched down causing the gear to collapse and damage to the propeller. The pilot believes an elevator control problem caused the incident.

As the FAA filed it

(-5) THE PILOT WROTE THAT THE FIRST INDICATION OF ANY TROUBLE WAS IN ESTABLISHING THE CLIMB. THE NOSE WAS TENDING TO PITCH UP AND THE ELEVATOR WAS NOT VERY EFFECTIVE TO BRING THE NOSE DOWN. WITH FULL POWER, THE NOSE WOULD NOT COME DOWN. AT ABOUT THREE HUNDRED FEET, THE PILOT REDUCED THE POWER SOME AND THE ELEVATOR SEEMED TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT AND DID SO INTO A FIELD CONTAINING HIGH GRASS, CAUSING HIM TO FLARE TOO HIGH. WHEN THE GEAR HIT THE HIGH GRASS, THE NOSE PITCHED DOWN CAUSING THE GEAR TO COLLAPSE AND DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER. THE PILOT BELIEVES AN ELEVATOR CONTROL PROBLEM CAUSED THE INCIDENT.