OpenAirDocs.org

19981002027949I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Piper PA-11 · Murfreesboro, TN · October 2, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
October 2, 1998 · 14:30 local
Place
Murfreesboro, TN
Airport
Murfreesboro Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4981M
Reported as
Piper PA11
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,416 total60 in this make and model16 in the last 90 days
N4981MRegistered now · Piper PA-11S/N 11-468 · Built 1948Airframe modelPiper PA-11Engine modelContinental A&C65 seriesReciprocating

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.

Acft ground looped on landing, went off the right side of the rwy. (-5) at approximately 2:30 pm CDT, on October 2, 1998 aircraft model PA-11, registration number N4981M, flown by jeff johnson with gleen cawthon as instructor, ground looped after landing on rny 18 at mbt and sustained minor damage to the aircraft. Mr. Johnson had successfully completed seven wheel landings and over an hour of maneuvers prior to the incident. On the eighth landing, as the main gear touched the runway Mr. Johnson applied forward stick to keep the tail up. As the tail began to sink, the aircraft turned hard to the right into a right crosswind gust of approx. 4 knots. The left wing started to dip, as the left main tire rolled into the grass, and Mr. Cawthon applied brakes with full left rudder but the aircraft continued across the taxiway and rolled down into the parallel drainage ditch where if finally stopped. Neither of the occupants were injured. The aircraft sustained damage around the door and to one blade of the prop due to ground strike. The FAA was promptly notified at 2:45 pm. An on-site investigation was made on 10/5/98 by aviation safety inspectors schuler & lauer from the nashville FSDO.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT GROUND LOOPED ON LANDING, WENT OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY. (-5) AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM CDT, ON OCTOBER 2, 1998 AIRCRAFT MODEL PA-11, REGISTRATION NUMBER N4981M, FLOWN BY JEFF JOHNSON WITH GLEEN CAWTHON AS INSTRUCTOR, GROUND LOOPED AFTER LANDING ON RNY 18 AT MBT AND SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. MR. JOHNSON HAD SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED SEVEN WHEEL LANDINGS AND OVER AN HOUR OF MANEUVERS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. ON THE EIGHTH LANDING, AS THE MAIN GEAR TOUCHED THE RUNWAY MR. JOHNSON APPLIED FORWARD STICK TO KEEP THE TAIL UP. AS THE TAIL BEGAN TO SINK, THE AIRCRAFT TURNED HARD TO THE RIGHT INTO A RIGHT CROSSWIND GUST OF APPROX. 4 KNOTS. THE LEFT WING STARTED TO DIP, AS THE LEFT MAIN TIRE ROLLED INTO THE GRASS, AND MR. CAWTHON APPLIED BRAKES WITH FULL LEFT RUDDER BUT THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ACROSS THE TAXIWAY AND ROLLED DOWN INTO THE PARALLEL DRAINAGE DITCH WHERE IF FINALLY STOPPED. NEITHER OF THE OCCUPANTS WERE INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE AROUND THE DOOR AND TO ONE BLADE OF THE PROP DUE TO GROUND STRIKE. THE FAA WAS PROMPTLY NOTIFIED AT 2:45 PM. AN ON-SITE INVESTIGATION WAS MADE ON 10/5/98 BY AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTORS SCHULER & LAUER FROM THE NASHVILLE FSDO.