19980909035199I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-18A-135 · Helena, MT · September 9, 1998

Date: September 9, 1998 · 10:00 local
Place: Helena, MT
Airport: Conyonferry
Phase of flight: Practice Training Manuevers
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2625A
Reported as: Piper PA18A135
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 900 total500 in this make and model50 in the last 90 days

N2625ARegistered now · Piper PA-18A-135S/N 18-2170 · Built 1952 Airframe modelPiper PA-18A-135 Engine modelLycoming 0-290 series4 cycle

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.

Mr. Gundersen stated he was performing a maneuver in which ground roll is reduced for a shore landing. He was skimming his main tires on the surface of canyon ferry lake as he approached the shore in preparation for a full stop landing on a short beach. At approximately 40 mph the wheels "dug in" to the water and the aircraft tipped forward to a near vertical position. The engine sustained sudden stoppage and the prop tips shattered.

As the FAA filed it

MR. GUNDERSEN STATED HE WAS PERFORMING A MANEUVER IN WHICH GROUND ROLL IS REDUCED FOR A SHORE LANDING. HE WAS SKIMMING HIS MAIN TIRES ON THE SURFACE OF CANYON FERRY LAKE AS HE APPROACHED THE SHORE IN PREPARATION FOR A FULL STOP LANDING ON A SHORT BEACH. AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE WHEELS "DUG IN" TO THE WATER AND THE AIRCRAFT TIPPED FORWARD TO A NEAR VERTICAL POSITION. THE ENGINE SUSTAINED SUDDEN STOPPAGE AND THE PROP TIPS SHATTERED.

Other reports on N2625A · 1

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

Accident 19740705019269AGround Taxi, Other Airplane · Malta, MTGusting to 45K.Jul 5, 1974 · Substantial damage