# Incident 20040731020819I: Blanca 14193, Rochester, MN, July 31, 2004

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 31, 2004, 15:50 local time
- Place: Rochester, MN
- Airport: Rochester Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.9083° N, 92.5000° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ROCHESTER INTL (RST), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.9083&lon=-92.5000&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8831R, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8831R-2011-06-28) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bellanca 14-19-3 (registry code 3080106, https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-14-19-3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental I0-470 series (registry code 17027, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-i0-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BLANCA 14193
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,000 total, 9 in this make and model, 17 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040731020819I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) THE PILOT HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED HIS BELLANCA AND WAS FLYING IT HOME TO MINNESOTA. DURING A ROUTINE FUEL STOP AT ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED SURFACE WINDS THAT EXCEEDED HIS LIMITATIONS. THE PILOT EXECUTED AN APPROACH AND THEN A GO-AROUND, DUE TO HIS DISCOMFORT WITH THE LANDING FLARE. HE THEN ATTEMPTED A SECOND APPROACH AND LANDING, BUT THIS TIME HE DID NOT PROPERLY ARREST HIS DESCENT, HENCE THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A HARD TOUCHDOWN WHICH DAMAGED THE LANDING GEAR. HE EXECUTED ANOTHER GO-AROUND AND THEN ATTEMPTED A THIRD LANDING. IT WAS ON THIS THIRD LANDING THAT THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED UPON TOUCHDOWN. THE PILOT WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND HE WAS NOT INJURED. THE PILOT BEGAN FLYING AGAIN IN MAY OF 2004. PRIOR TO MAY, HE LAST FLEW IN THE 1970S. EVEN THOUGH HE HAS ABOUT 2,000 HOURS TOTAL FLIGHT TIME, NEARLY ALL OF THAT TIME IS IN THE DISTANT PAST. THE PILOT LACKS PROFICIENCY AND SKILLS AND WAS VERY UNFAMILIAR WITH THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS RECENTLY PURCHASED BELLANCA.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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