20030312005989I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Marlette, MI · March 12, 2003

Date: March 12, 2003
Place: Marlette, MI
Airport: Marlette Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N25552
Reported as: Piper PA28161
Reported engine: Lycoming O320D3G
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Student
Pilot’s flight hours: 79 total11 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

N25552Registered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-8516081 · Built 1985 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161 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) After discussing the weather and the intended flight with the flight instructor, the student pilot departed lapeer and flew to Marlette. He circled the Marlette Airport to ascertain the wind strength and direction and decided to land on runway 27. The wind was blowing directly down the runway. Normal approach but the pilot encountered wind gusts during the flare that blew him to the left of the runway. He initiated a go-around, drifted further to the right and struck the right main tire on a snowbank.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AFTER DISCUSSING THE WEATHER AND THE INTENDED FLIGHT WITH THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, THE STUDENT PILOT DEPARTED LAPEER AND FLEW TO MARLETTE. HE CIRCLED THE MARLETTE AIRPORT TO ASCERTAIN THE WIND STRENGTH AND DIRECTION AND DECIDED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 27. THE WIND WAS BLOWING DIRECTLY DOWN THE RUNWAY. NORMAL APPROACH BUT THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED WIND GUSTS DURING THE FLARE THAT BLEW HIM TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY. HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND, DRIFTED FURTHER TO THE RIGHT AND STRUCK THE RIGHT MAIN TIRE ON A SNOWBANK.