20000905029139I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Julian, CA · September 5, 2000

Date
September 5, 2000 · 15:30 local
Place
Julian, CA
Airport
Rancho Vallecito
Phase of flight
Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N2092L
Reported as
Piper PA28161
Reported engine
Lycoming O320D3G
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
400 total185 in this make and model30 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.

(-23)Pilot intended to land at aqua caliente springs (L54). He mistakenly landed at Rancho vallecinto, a private runway, 6 miles west of aqua caliente springs. Pilot attempted a soft field takeoff and positioned the aircraft on the left side of the runway on the takeoff run to avoid a large growth of sagebrush on the runway. Pilot inadvertantly permitted aircraft to drift left and into soft sand shoulder. Nose gear then struck two bags of blacktop, stacked one on the other, followed by failure of nosegear strut and subsequent propeller strike. Aircraft came to a rest nose down, partially off runway. Pilot sustained a laceration to his nose, which struck edge of instrument panel. Passenger, privacy data omitted, uninjured.

As the FAA filed it

(-23)PILOT INTENDED TO LAND AT AQUA CALIENTE SPRINGS (L54). HE MISTAKENLY LANDED AT RANCHO VALLECINTO, A PRIVATE RUNWAY, 6 MILES WEST OF AQUA CALIENTE SPRINGS. PILOT ATTEMPTED A SOFT FIELD TAKEOFF AND POSITIONED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY ON THE TAKEOFF RUN TO AVOID A LARGE GROWTH OF SAGEBRUSH ON THE RUNWAY. PILOT INADVERTANTLY PERMITTED AIRCRAFT TO DRIFT LEFT AND INTO SOFT SAND SHOULDER. NOSE GEAR THEN STRUCK TWO BAGS OF BLACKTOP, STACKED ONE ON THE OTHER, FOLLOWED BY FAILURE OF NOSEGEAR STRUT AND SUBSEQUENT PROPELLER STRIKE. AIRCRAFT CAME TO A REST NOSE DOWN, PARTIALLY OFF RUNWAY. PILOT SUSTAINED A LACERATION TO HIS NOSE, WHICH STRUCK EDGE OF INSTRUMENT PANEL. PASSENGER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMI^, UNINJURED.