20040208013039I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Namer SNJ4 · Cocoa, FL · February 8, 2004

Date
February 8, 2004 · 11:15 local
Place
Cocoa, FL
Airport
Merritt Island Airport
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N55A
Reported as
Namer SNJ4
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,575 total400 in this make and model100 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.

(-23) The aircraft veered off of the right side of runway 29 into a shallow ditch and flipped over, during a right-crosswind landing. The instructor pilot and a non-certificated student on board were not injured. The aircraft sustained minor damage to the engine cowling, propeller, rudder & left wing tip, and a runway light was damaged. Intermittent skid marks on the runway from the right tire indicated that it lost contact with the runway several times shortly after touchdown and brake application. FBO personnel reported that the observed winds at the time were blowing from 020 degrees at 20 knots, with occasional increases to 23 knots. The airplane was being operated by north-american top-gun, inc. on an instructional flight. The instructor pilot reported that he was attempting a tail low landing in the crosswind conditions with flaps extended, and lost directional control after the tailwheel touched down.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF RUNWAY 29 INTO A SHALLOW DITCH AND FLIPPED OVER, DURING A RIGHT-CROSSWIND LANDING. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT AND A NON-CERTIFICATED STUDENT ON BOARD WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE COWLING, PROPELLER, RUDDER & LEFT WING TIP, AND A RUNWAY LIGHT WAS DAMAGED. INTERMITTENT SKID MARKS ON THE RUNWAY FROM THE RIGHT TIRE INDICATED THAT IT LOST CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY SEVERAL TIMES SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND BRAKE APPLICATION. FBO PERSONNEL REPORTED THAT THE OBSERVED WINDS AT THE TIME WERE BLOWING FROM 020 DEGREES AT 20 KNOTS, WITH OCCASIONAL INCREASES TO 23 KNOTS. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED BY NORTH-AMERICAN TOP-GUN, INC. ON AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING A TAIL LOW LANDING IN THE CROSSWIND CONDITIONS WITH FLAPS EXTENDED, AND LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AFTER THE TAILWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN.