19981030042729I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Gulstm 680-E · Erwinna, PA · October 30, 1998

Date: October 30, 1998 · 15:00 local
Place: Erwinna, PA
Airport: Vansant Airport
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3820C
Reported as: Gulstm 680E
Reported engine: Lycoming IGSO480*
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,324 total240 in this make and model84 in the last 90 days

N3820CRegistration cancelled Jan 18, 2018 · Aero Commander 680-ES/N 680E-728-31 · Built 1959 Airframe modelAero Commander 680-E Engine modelLycoming GSO&IGSO-480 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.

(-5)The pilot had never been into van sant airport, a grass strip where the runway is marked on only one side. The pilot landed on the wrong side of the markings. On landing rollout, he saw the terrain dropping off rapidly to his right, then rising again. He felt it was not safe to go through the dip in the terrain, so he steered the airplane to the left. The airplane went into a skid to the right, however, and the right main gear strut sheared.

As the FAA filed it

(-5)THE PILOT HAD NEVER BEEN INTO VAN SANT AIRPORT, A GRASS STRIP WHERE THE RUNWAY IS MARKED ON ONLY ONE SIDE. THE PILOT LANDED ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE MARKINGS. ON LANDING ROLLOUT, HE SAW THE TERRAIN DROPPING OFF RAPIDLY TO HIS RIGHT, THEN RISING AGAIN. HE FELT IT WAS NOT SAFE TO GO THROUGH THE DIP IN THE TERRAIN, SO HE STEERED THE AIRPLANE TO THE LEFT. THE AIRPLANE WENT INTO A SKID TO THE RIGHT, HOWEVER, AND THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR STRUT SHEARED.