20030222002959A

(.19) ON FEBRUARY 22, 2003, ABOUT 1542 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 182P, N21408, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHILE LANDING AT THE MALLORY AIRPORT (WV12), SOUTH CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, AND THE PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT DEPARTED JACKSON COUNTY AIRPORT (I18), RAVENSWOOD, WEST VIRGINIA. A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED, AND THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE ARRIVED AT MALLORY ABOUT 1115, HAD LUNCH WITH A FEW FRIENDS, AND THEN WENT OUT TO THE AIRPLANE. ANOTHER PILOT THAT WAS ALSO FLYING TO JACKSON AND BACK CHECKED THE WEATHER, AND ADVISED THE PILOT IT WAS SUITABLE FOR THE FLIGHT, ADDING THAT RAIN SHOWERS WERE FORECASTED FOR THE MALLORY AREA AFTER THEIR EXPECTED TIME OF RETURN. THE PILOT PREFLIGHTED THE AIRPLANE, NOTED NO ANOMALIES, AND BOARDED WITH HIS PASSENGER. HE THEN STARTED THE ENGINE, COMPLETED THE ENGINE RUNUP CHECKS, AND DEPARTED FOR THE 30-MINUTE FLIGHT TO JACKSON. DURING THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT NOTED APPROXIMATELY A 30-KNOT TAILWIND AT 3,500 FEET MSL. THE LANDING AT JACKSON WAS UNEVENTFUL, AND THE PILOT TAXIED TO PARKING AND HAD THE AIRPLANE REFUELED. AFTER ADDING APPROXIMATELY 36 GALLONS, THE PILOT PREFLIGHTED THE AIRPLANE, AND DRAINED ALL THE FUEL SUMPS. HE AND HIS PASSENGER THEN REBOARDED THE AIRPLANE FOR THE 40-MINUTE FLIGHT BACK TO MALLORY. THE PILOT STARTED THE ENGINE, TAXIED TO THE ACTIVE RUNWAY, AND DEPARTED. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 2,500 FEET MSL, HE NOTED APPROXIMATELY A 25-KNOT HEADWIND. THE FLIGHT PROGRESSED WITHOUT INCIDENT, AND ONCE IN THE MALLORY AREA THE PILOT CHECKED THE ATIS AT YEAGER AIRPORT (CRW), CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA. THE ATIS REPORTED THE WIND AS 160 DEGREES MAGNETIC AT 9 KNOTS. IN ADDITION, THE PILOT NOTICED A STEAM TRAIL BEING EMITTED FROM A STACK APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT, WHICH SHOWED THE WIND AS CALM BELOW 1,500 FEET MSL. THE PILOT ENTERED THE DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 33, AND SELECTED FULL FLAPS. WHEN HE TURNED BASE, THE AIRPLANE WAS A "LITTLE HIGH," SO HE ENTERED A SLIP UNTIL OBTAINING THE PROPER DESCENT ANGLE. HE TURNED FINAL, AND CROSSED THE LANDING THRESHOLD AT HIS PLANNED ALTITUDE AND AIRSPEED. AS THE PILOT INITIATED THE FLARE, HE COULD FEEL THE AIRPLANE START TO FLOAT DOWN THE RUNWAY, AND DRIFT RIGHT. HE ADDED "FULL LEFT" RUDDER,AND GOT THE AIRPLANE BACK OVER THE CENTERLINE. THE AIRPLANE THEN YAWED "HARD" TO THE LEFT, AND THE PILOT RESPONDED WITH "FULL RIGHT" RUDDER. ONE OF THE WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE RUNWAY, AND AT THAT SAME POINT, THE PILOT DECIDED TO ABORT THE LANDING. HE ADDED FULL THROTTLE, SELECTED THE CARBURETOR HEAT TO "OFF," AND RAISED THE FLAPS TO THE TAKEOFF POSITION. THE PILOT REMEMBERS THAT THE AIRSPEED WAS BELOW THE "GREEN ARC," AND THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS CLIMBING, BUT AT AN INSUFFICIENT RATE TO CLEAR THE TREES AND POWER LINES AT THE FAR END OF THE RUNWAY, SO HE AIMED FOR A SMALL OPENING BETWEEN SOME TREES. AFTER THAT POINT IN THE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE, THE PILOT'S MEMORY WAS FRAGMENTED, BUT HE DID REMEMBER BOTH WINGS IMPACTING THE TREES AND THE FUSELAGE COMING TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF A WITNESS, THE PILOT EGRESSED THE AIRPLANE, AND WAS LIFE FLIGHTED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD LANDED AT MALLORY BEFORE WITH A 9-KNOT TAILWIND, AND THAT HE FELT COMFORTABLE ATTEMPTING THE LANDING BASED ON THE REPORTED WINDS AND HIS OWN OBSERVATIONS. IN ADDITION, THE PILOT STATED HE EXPERIENCED NO PREIMPACT FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WITH EITHER THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME DURING THE ABORTED LANDING. A WEATHER OBSERVATION TAKEN ABOUT 12 MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT AT YEAGER, RECORDED THE WIND AS 150 DEGREES MAGNETIC AT 13 KNOTS GUSTING TO 19 KNOTS, VISIBILITY 10 MILES, FEW CLOUDS AT 12,000 FEET AGL, TEMPERATURE 62 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, DEW POINT 52 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, AND AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 29.11 INCHES OF MERCURY. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS LOCATED AT MALLORY, WHEN THE AIRPLANE CROSSED THE LANDING THRESHOLD, THERE WAS A SUDDEN INCREASE IN WIND SPEED AND A CHANGE IN WIND DIRECTION. ACCORDING TO THE AIRPORT FACILITY DIRECTORY, RUNWAY 15/33 AT MALLORY WAS 2,000 FEET LONG, 24 FEET WIDE, AND SURFACED WITH ASPHALT. IN ADDITION, LANDINGS AT MALLORY WERE RESTRICTED TO RUNWAY 33 BECAUSE OF RISING TERRAIN ON THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 15. (-23) MR. HUNT STATED HE WAS RETURNING FROM JACKSON COUNTY AIRPORT (I18) IN RAVENSWOOD, WV HE WAS HEADING FOR MALLORY AIRPORT (WV12), IN SOUTH CHARLESTON, WV. MR. HUNT AND HIS PASSENGER DEPARTED JACKSON COUNTY AIRPORT BETWEEN 1450 AND 1500 LOCAL TIME. ON HIS RETURN TRIP TO WV12 HE NOTICED A STRONG HEADWIND, THIS HEADWIND WAS STRONGER THAN THE TAILWIND HE ENCOUNTERED WHEN H EADING TO I18. MR. HUNT STATED THAT HE DID NOT GET A WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE LEAVING JACKSON COUNTY AIRPORT. MR. HUNT SAID THAT ON DOWNWIND LEG TO MALLORY (RUNWAY 33) THE WIND WAS STRONG AND ROUGH. HE DID STATE THAT HE WAS LISTENING TO CHARLESTON AIRPORT ATIS (CRW) AND THEY WERE REPORTING WIND FROM 160 DEGREES AT 9 KNOTS. MR. HUNT TURNED BASE TO RUNWAY 33 AND SAID NOW THE WIND WAS PUSHING HIM TOWARDS THE AIRPORT. ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 33 MR. HUNT SLIPPED THE AIRCRAFT AND ADDED A LITTLE POWER TO GET TO THE THRESHOLD. THE WIND WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO PUSH HIM TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. MR. HUNT CORRECTED BUT THE WIND WAS SO SEVERE THAT HIS RUDDER INPUT DID NOT IMMEDIATELY TAKE POSITIVE ACTION. MR. HUNT THEN KNOWING HE WAS NOT GOING TO LAND, ADDED FULL POWER. MR. HUNT STARTED RETRACTING THE FLAPS AND TRIED TO CLEAN THE AIRCRAFT UP FOR A GO-AROUND. MR. HUNT STATED THAT HIS CARB-HEAT WAS IN THE OFF POSITION AND HE LOWERED THE NOSE TO TRY TO KEEP FROM STALLING THE AIRCRAFT. AT THIS POINT MR. HUNT REALIZED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO CLEAR THE TREES AND POWER LINES AND HE AIMED THE AIRCRAFT TOWARDS A SMALL CLEARING. MR. HUNT IMPACTED THE TREES AND POWER LINES AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. MR. HUNT'S PASSENGER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS FATALLY INJURED. MR. HUNT SUSTAINED SERIOUS EYE AND LEG INJURIES.