20040514035129I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 175A · Williams, AZ · May 14, 2004

Date: May 14, 2004 · 13:30 local
Place: Williams, AZ
Airport: Williams Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N973WD
Reported as: Cessna 175A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 108 total65 in this make and model16 in the last 90 days

N973WDRegistered now · Cessna 175AS/N 56519 · Built 1960 Airframe modelCessna 175A Engine modelContinental GO-300 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) Pilot statement is as follows: weather briefing received at geu prior to take-off. Upon arrival at Williams he overflew the airport and observed the windsocks. All three indicated calm conditions. On approach to runway 36 he verified by windsock that the wind was still calm. On landing roundout he experienced a wind that lifted the tail and pushed the nose over. The main landing gear and nose gear contacted the runway at approximately the same time. The wind under the tail picked up the tail and the main gear came off the ground at that point the nose wheel collapsed. One statement he made was that upon landing he pushed the nose over so the aircraft wouldn't flip over.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT STATEMENT IS AS FOLLOWS: WEATHER BRIEFING RECEIVED AT GEU PRIOR TO TAKE-OFF. UPON ARRIVAL AT WILLIAMS HE OVERFLEW THE AIRPORT AND OBSERVED THE WINDSOCKS. ALL THREE INDICATED CALM CONDITIONS. ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 36 HE VERIFIED BY WINDSOCK THAT THE WIND WAS STILL CALM. ON LANDING ROUNDOUT HE EXPERIENCED A WIND THAT LIFTED THE TAIL AND PUSHED THE NOSE OVER. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR AND NOSE GEAR CONTACTED THE RUNWAY AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME. THE WIND UNDER THE TAIL PICKED UP THE TAIL AND THE MAIN GEAR CAME OFF THE GROUND AT THAT POINT THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED. ONE STATEMENT HE MADE WAS THAT UPON LANDING HE PUSHED THE NOSE OVER SO THE AIRCRAFT WOULDN'T FLIP OVER.