20011209035679A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Amtr RV-6A · Comfort, TX · December 9, 2001

Date
December 9, 2001 · 14:30 local
Place
Comfort, TX
Airport
Comfort Airpark Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N61AZ
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW02LA050
Reported as
Amtr RV6A
Reported engine
Lycoming O360A1D
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
435 total26 in this make and model29 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 December 9, 2001, at 1430 central standard time, a heard RV-6A, experimental airplane, N61AZ, sustained substantial damage following a hard landing at the private grass airstrip near Comfort, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 code of federal regulations part 91. The private pilot and his passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight departed sonora, Texas, approximately 1330. The pilot reported that during the landing/flare on runway 32, the airplane bounced during the touchdown on the runway. Subsequently, during the landing roll, the nose landing gear collapsed, the airplane nosed over, slid, and came to rest inverted. The vertical stabilized and rudder were crushed. The fuselage was wrinkled and the canopy destroyed. The propeller blades were bent. The pilot stated that the winds were from 300 degrees at 3 to 4 knots. (-23) privacy data omitted on December 9, 2001, at 2:30 p.m., PIC henry r. mcka y had a hard landing at the Comfort airport, private grass strip, in Comfort, Texas. The aircraft bounced and came back down and the nose landing gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest inverted on the runway. Pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, fuselage, propeller, and nose landing gear. No fires noted. (.4) on December 9, 2001, at 1430 central standard time, a heard RV-6A, experimental homebuilt airplane, N61AZ, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing on runway 32 at the Comfort Airpark Airport, Comfort, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 code of federal regulations part 91. The private pilot received minor injuries, and the passenger received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight departed sonora, Texas, approximately 1330. The pilot reported that during the initial touchdown on the grass runway, the airplane bounced. Subsequently, the airplane touched down again, the nose landing gear collapse d, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot stated that the winds were from 300 degrees at 3 to 4 knots. The FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, stated the nose landing gear strut failed "due to an excessive aft-ward force occurring on final touchdown location." The vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed. The fuselage was wrinkled and the canopy destroyed. The propeller blades were bent. A 5-point restraint system was installed in the airplane. On the pilot/operator aircraft accident report (NTSB form 6120.1/2), in the recommendation (how could this accident have been prevented) section, the pilot wrote: "redesigned and stronger nose gear assembly."

As the FAA filed it

(.19) ON DECEMBER 9, 2001, AT 1430 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A HEARD RV-6A, EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE, N61AZ, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FOLLOWING A HARD LANDING AT THE PRIVATE GRASS AIRSTRIP NEAR COMFORT, TEXAS. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED SONORA, TEXAS, APPROXIMATELY 1330. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE LANDING/FLARE ON RUNWAY 32, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED DURING THE TOUCHDOWN ON THE RUNWAY. SUBSEQUENTLY, DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER, SLID, AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE VERTICAL STABILIZED AND RUDDER WERE CRUSHED. THE FUSELAGE WAS WRINKLED AND THE CANOPY DESTROYED. THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WINDS WERE FROM 300 DEGREES AT 3 TO 4 KNOTS. (-23) ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON DECEMBER 9, 2001, AT 2:30 P.M., PIC HENRY R. MCKA Y HAD A HARD LANDING AT THE COMFORT AIRPORT, PRIVATE GRASS STRIP, IN COMFORT, TEXAS. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AND CAME BACK DOWN AND THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST INVERTED ON THE RUNWAY. PILOT AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZERS, FUSELAGE, PROPELLER, AND NOSE LANDING GEAR. NO FIRES NOTED. (.4) ON DECEMBER 9, 2001, AT 1430 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A HEARD RV-6A, EXPERIMENTAL HOMEBUILT AIRPLANE, N61AZ, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING A HARD LANDING ON RUNWAY 32 AT THE COMFORT AIRPARK AIRPORT, COMFORT, TEXAS. THE AIRPLANE WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. THE PRIVATE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES, AND THE PASSENGER RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED SONORA, TEXAS, APPROXIMATELY 1330. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN ON THE GRASS RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE D, AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE WINDS WERE FROM 300 DEGREES AT 3 TO 4 KNOTS. THE FAA INSPECTOR, WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE, STATED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR STRUT FAILED "DUE TO AN EXCESSIVE AFT-WARD FORCE OCCURRING ON FINAL TOUCHDOWN LOCATION." THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER WERE CRUSHED. THE FUSELAGE WAS WRINKLED AND THE CANOPY DESTROYED. THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT. A 5-POINT RESTRAINT SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED IN THE AIRPLANE. ON THE PILOT/OPERATOR AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT (NTSB FORM 6120.1/2), IN THE RECOMMENDATION (HOW COULD THIS ACCIDENT HAVE BEEN PREVENTED) SECTION, THE PILOT WROTE: "REDESIGNED AND STRONGER NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY."

NTSB investigation

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