20050304004269I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Hartford, WI · March 4, 2005

Date: March 4, 2005 · 08:45 local
Place: Hartford, WI
Airport: Hartford Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N275EA
Reported as: Beech A36
Reported engine: Continental IO550*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,005 total93 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

N275EARegistered now · Raytheon A36S/N E-3520 Airframe modelRaytheon A36

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 pilot departed the Hartford, WI. Airport (hxf), on March 4, 2005, at approximately 0845 CST. The aircraft was climbing out and about a 1000 feet AGL, the front door opened up. The pilot decided to return to hxf to land. He approached the airport and was trying to hold the door shut. On final he realized that he was too high and fast to land on the runway safely, so he decided to go around. He stated his go around procedure was retracting the gear and flaps and adding power. The aircraft continued to settle. He then heard the prop tips striking the ground. He then thought it was safer to land gear up instead of going around. The aircraft landed gear up. The aircraft received minor damage.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT DEPARTED THE HARTFORD, WI. AIRPORT (HXF), ON MARCH 4, 2005, AT APPROXIMATELY 0845 CST. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING OUT AND ABOUT A 1000 FEET AGL, THE FRONT DOOR OPENED UP. THE PILOT DECIDED TO RETURN TO HXF TO LAND. HE APPROACHED THE AIRPORT AND WAS TRYING TO HOLD THE DOOR SHUT. ON FINAL HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS TOO HIGH AND FAST TO LAND ON THE RUNWAY SAFELY, SO HE DECIDED TO GO AROUND. HE STATED HIS GO AROUND PROCEDURE WAS RETRACTING THE GEAR AND FLAPS AND ADDING POWER. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO SETTLE. HE THEN HEARD THE PROP TIPS STRIKING THE GROUND. HE THEN THOUGHT IT WAS SAFER TO LAND GEAR UP INSTEAD OF GOING AROUND. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED GEAR UP. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE.