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20010517008369I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Pilats PC12 · Fresno, CA · May 17, 2001

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 17, 2001 · 09:53 local
Place
Fresno, CA
Airport
Fresno Yosemite International Airport
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N82HR
Reported as
Pilats PC12
Pilot’s flight hours
10,150 total350 in this make and model90 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) privacy data omitted PIC of N82HR, a PC-12-45 was distracted during preflight and left the tow bar attached to the aircraft. The pilot departed harris ranch agri-airport with the tow bar still attached. The pilot said he did notice a strange noise during take off, but it quit about half way through the take off run. After lift off the pilot attempted to raise the gear, but the nose gear would not fully retract. The pilot then realized what had happened and decided to divert to fat instead of his intended destination of sacramento, CA so that he could make an emergency landing. The pilot shut the aircraft fuel system down and feathered the propeller on short final to minimize damage to the aircraft. The tow bar contacted the runway first and was pushed rearward along the fuselage but remained attached. The aircraft nose was held off the runway until loss of aerodynamic elevator control. The pilot let the nose down and tow of the propeller blades impacted the runway. The aircraft came to a stop on the center-line of the runway without any further damage.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ^PRIVACY DATA O^ PIC OF N82HR, A PC-12-45 WAS DISTRACTED DURING PREFLIGHT AND LEFT THE TOW BAR ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT DEPARTED HARRIS RANCH AGRI-AIRPORT WITH THE TOW BAR STILL ATTACHED. THE PILOT SAID HE DID NOTICE A STRANGE NOISE DURING TAKE OFF, BUT IT QUIT ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH THE TAKE OFF RUN. AFTER LIFT OFF THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RAISE THE GEAR, BUT THE NOSE GEAR WOULD NOT FULLY RETRACT. THE PILOT THEN REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND DECIDED TO DIVERT TO FAT INSTEAD OF HIS INTENDED DESTINATION OF SACRAMENTO, CA SO THAT HE COULD MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING. THE PILOT SHUT THE AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM DOWN AND FEATHERED THE PROPELLER ON SHORT FINAL TO MINIMIZE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE TOW BAR CONTACTED THE RUNWAY FIRST AND WAS PUSHED REARWARD ALONG THE FUSELAGE BUT REMAINED ATTACHED. THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WAS HELD OFF THE RUNWAY UNTIL LOSS OF AERODYNAMIC ELEVATOR CONTROL. THE PILOT LET THE NOSE DOWN AND TOW OF THE PROPELLER BLADES IMPACTED THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP ON THE CENTER-LINE OF THE RUNWAY WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DAMAGE.