20010731024309I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-140 · Muscle Shoals, AL · July 31, 2001

Date: July 31, 2001 · 16:15 local
Place: Muscle Shoals, AL
Airport: Muscle Shoals Regional Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N1732T
Reported as: Piper PA28140
Reported engine: Lycoming O320*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,220 total556 in this make and model28 in the last 90 days

N1732TRegistered now · Piper PA-28-140S/N 28-7125418 · Built 1971 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-140 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

(-23) The pilot stated that the approach to landing on runway 29 at MSL was normal and the touchdown was normal until a gust of wind made the aircraft balloon. At that point the pilot stated that the aircraft started to porpoise and hit on it's nose wheel collapsing the nose gear. The aircraft slid on the broken nose gear and the engine cowling until stopped. Damage was limited to the nose gear, engine cowling and a puncture hole aft of the firewall on the belly. The pilot stated that the weather was VFR, with haze and very gusty winds.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT STATED THAT THE APPROACH TO LANDING ON RUNWAY 29 AT MSL WAS NORMAL AND THE TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL UNTIL A GUST OF WIND MADE THE AIRCRAFT BALLOON. AT THAT POINT THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO PORPOISE AND HIT ON IT'S NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT SLID ON THE BROKEN NOSE GEAR AND THE ENGINE COWLING UNTIL STOPPED. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE NOSE GEAR, ENGINE COWLING AND A PUNCTURE HOLE AFT OF THE FIREWALL ON THE BELLY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WEATHER WAS VFR, WITH HAZE AND VERY GUSTY WINDS.