20010731017819A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Maule M-7-235C · Flagstaff, AZ · July 31, 2001

Date
July 31, 2001 · 07:10 local
Place
Flagstaff, AZ
Airport
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N17FR
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX01LA266
Reported as
Maule M7235C
Reported engine
Lycoming IO540W1A5
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
807 total32 in this make and model42 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.

(.19) On July 31, 2001, at 0656 hours mountain standard time, a Maule M-7-235C, N17FR, ground looped after landing at the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, Flagstaff, Arizona. The airplane was owned and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91, and sustained substantial damage. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight. No flight plan had been filed. The safety board investigator-in-charge interviewed the pilot. The pilot stated that he was going to go out and practice three-point landings, touch-and-go takeoffs and landings, and then maybe do some flying around the area. There were no discrepancies noted with the first landing. On the second landing, touchdown was normal, and then the airplane veered off the runway and ground looped. The pilot stated that the weather was overcast with some haze, but that the winds were calm. He further indicated that there were no mechanical difficulties notes with the airplane. (-23) airman was practicing "wheel landings" and after touching down, the aircraft was veering toward the right side of the runway. The airman attemp ted to compensate by adding left rudder, but to no avail. The aircraft exited the runway to the right and "nosed over" into an embankment. The right main gear was sheared off, the prop was destroyed, and the right wing suffered substantial damage. (.4) on July 31, 2001, at 0710 hours mountain standard time, a Maule M-7-235C, N17FR, ground looped after landing at the Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, Flagstaff, Arizona. The airplane was owned and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91, and sustained substantial damage. The pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed at 0635, and no flight plan had been filed. The safety board investigator interviewed the pilot. The pilot stated that he was going to go out and practice three-point landings, touch-and-go takeoffs and landings, and then maybe do some flying around the area. There were no discrepancies noted with the first landing. On the second landing, touchdown was normal, and then the airplane veered off the runway and ground looped. The pilot stated that the weather was overcast with some haze, but that the winds were calm. He further indicated that there were no mechanical difficulties noted with the airplane. In the pilot's written statement to the safety board, he indicated that on the second landing he flared "a little bit high." After touchdown the airplane bounced, which he stated, wasn't serious and attempted to "fix it." The airplane started an immediate turn to the right, and he wasn't able to apply enough left rudder to return to runway centerline, so he added power at the edge of the runway. He was near an embankment off to the side of runway 21'S taxiway. He applied full power, hoping to turn the airplane before it collided with the embankment. The airplane started to turn to the left and encountered another embankment. He attempted to jump the airplane over the embankment; however, the landing gear caught part of the embankment and the airplane bounced over and onto the runway. He shutoff the airplane and he and his passenger exited the airplane without further incident.

As the FAA filed it

(.19) ON JULY 31, 2001, AT 0656 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A MAULE M-7-235C, N17FR, GROUND LOOPED AFTER LANDING AT THE FLAGSTAFF PULLIAM AIRPORT, FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PRIVATE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91, AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE INTERVIEWED THE PILOT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO GO OUT AND PRACTICE THREE-POINT LANDINGS, TOUCH-AND-GO TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS, AND THEN MAYBE DO SOME FLYING AROUND THE AREA. THERE WERE NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED WITH THE FIRST LANDING. ON THE SECOND LANDING, TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL, AND THEN THE AIRPLANE VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY AND GROUND LOOPED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WEATHER WAS OVERCAST WITH SOME HAZE, BUT THAT THE WINDS WERE CALM. HE FURTHER INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL DIFFICULTIES NOTES WITH THE AIRPLANE. (-23) AIRMAN WAS PRACTICING "WHEEL LANDINGS" AND AFTER TOUCHING DOWN, THE AIRCRAFT WAS VEERING TOWARD THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRMAN ATTEMP TED TO COMPENSATE BY ADDING LEFT RUDDER, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT AND "NOSED OVER" INTO AN EMBANKMENT. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS SHEARED OFF, THE PROP WAS DESTROYED, AND THE RIGHT WING SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. (.4) ON JULY 31, 2001, AT 0710 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A MAULE M-7-235C, N17FR, GROUND LOOPED AFTER LANDING AT THE FLAGSTAFF PULLIAM AIRPORT, FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PRIVATE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91, AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT AND A PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT DEPARTED AT 0635, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR INTERVIEWED THE PILOT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO GO OUT AND PRACTICE THREE-POINT LANDINGS, TOUCH-AND-GO TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS, AND THEN MAYBE DO SOME FLYING AROUND THE AREA. THERE WERE NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED WITH THE FIRST LANDING. ON THE SECOND LANDING, TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL, AND THEN THE AIRPLANE VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY AND GROUND LOOPED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WEATHER WAS OVERCAST WITH SOME HAZE, BUT THAT THE WINDS WERE CALM. HE FURTHER INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL DIFFICULTIES NOTED WITH THE AIRPLANE. IN THE PILOT'S WRITTEN STATEMENT TO THE SAFETY BOARD, HE INDICATED THAT ON THE SECOND LANDING HE FLARED "A LITTLE BIT HIGH." AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED, WHICH HE STATED, WASN'T SERIOUS AND ATTEMPTED TO "FIX IT." THE AIRPLANE STARTED AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO THE RIGHT, AND HE WASN'T ABLE TO APPLY ENOUGH LEFT RUDDER TO RETURN TO RUNWAY CENTERLINE, SO HE ADDED POWER AT THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY. HE WAS NEAR AN EMBANKMENT OFF TO THE SIDE OF RUNWAY 21'S TAXIWAY. HE APPLIED FULL POWER, HOPING TO TURN THE AIRPLANE BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH THE EMBANKMENT. THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO TURN TO THE LEFT AND ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER EMBANKMENT. HE ATTEMPTED TO JUMP THE AIRPLANE OVER THE EMBANKMENT; HOWEVER, THE LANDING GEAR CAUGHT PART OF THE EMBANKMENT AND THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED OVER AND ONTO THE RUNWAY. HE SHUTOFF THE AIRPLANE AND HE AND HIS PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

Other reports on N17FR · 2

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