What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On July 17, 2004, at 0730 MDT, a gimple cozy mark iv experimental aircraft, N142LE, registered to and flown by lloyd a. gimple, experienced a hard landing at Double Eagle II Airport in Albuquerque, NM while conducting initial certification proving flights. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Double Eagle ii at 0615 MDT. The aircraft landed hard on runway 17, bounced back into the air, and hit a second time, breaking the nose wheel off of the bottom of the nose strut. The aircraft stayed on the runway and skidded to a stop with no other damage occurring and with no injury to the pilot. Examination of the nose wheel revealed it had fractured the casting which held the wheel assembly on the nose strut. The manner in which the casting failed indicated it had broken due to a side load and not just a straight on impact. The pilot stated he did not recall being at an angle but he did remember pulling to the side of the runway during the rollout which could have been the result of being pointed in that direction. There was no evidence of preexisting damage and the pilot indicated this was the first time hehad experienced a hard landing in the airplane.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON JULY 17, 2004, AT 0730 MDT, A GIMPLE COZY MARK IV EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, N142LE, REGISTERED TO AND FLOWN BY LLOYD A. GIMPLE, EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING AT DOUBLE EAGLE II AIRPORT IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM WHILE CONDUCTING INITIAL CERTIFICATION PROVING FLIGHTS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT DOUBLE EAGLE II AT 0615 MDT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD ON RUNWAY 17, BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR, AND HIT A SECOND TIME, BREAKING THE NOSE WHEEL OFF OF THE BOTTOM OF THE NOSE STRUT. THE AIRCRAFT STAYED ON THE RUNWAY AND SKIDDED TO A STOP WITH NO OTHER DAMAGE OCCURRING AND WITH NO INJURY TO THE PILOT. EXAMINATION OF THE NOSE WHEEL REVEALED IT HAD FRACTURED THE CASTING WHICH HELD THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY ON THE NOSE STRUT. THE MANNER IN WHICH THE CASTING FAILED INDICATED IT HAD BROKEN DUE TO A SIDE LOAD AND NOT JUST A STRAIGHT ON IMPACT. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT RECALL BEING AT AN ANGLE BUT HE DID REMEMBER PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY DURING THE ROLLOUT WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN THE RESULT OF BEING POINTED IN THAT DIRECTION. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF PREEXISTING DAMAGE AND THE PILOT INDICATED THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME HEHAD EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING IN THE AIRPLANE.
Other reports on N142LE · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.