20030327005149I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Airtrc AT-400 · Beedeville, AR · March 27, 2003

Date: March 27, 2003 · 08:30 local
Place: Beedeville, AR
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: A2DG
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N23744
Reported as: Airtrc AT400
Pilot’s flight hours: 12,942 total2,694 in this make and model28 in the last 90 days

N23744Registered now · Air Tractor AT-400S/N 400A-0429 · Built 1982 Airframe modelAir Tractor AT-400 Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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) L/h gear leg had developed a surface crack defect. Upon touch down for landing the gear made a loud pop noise as the defect promagated itself and caused the shearing of the gear leg. The pilot pulled the aircraft up after the loud pop noise. He elected to land in a recently plowed field near the private strip. L/h wing struck the ground along with the propeller. Wind was 5-6 lite breeze.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) L/H GEAR LEG HAD DEVELOPED A SURFACE CRACK DEFECT. UPON TOUCH DOWN FOR LANDING THE GEAR MADE A LOUD POP NOISE AS THE DEFECT PROMAGATED ITSELF AND CAUSED THE SHEARING OF THE GEAR LEG. THE PILOT PULLED THE AIRCRAFT UP AFTER THE LOUD POP NOISE. HE ELECTED TO LAND IN A RECENTLY PLOWED FIELD NEAR THE PRIVATE STRIP. L/H WING STRUCK THE GROUND ALONG WITH THE PROPELLER. WIND WAS 5-6 LITE BREEZE.