20050428009069A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-20 · Thomaston, GA · April 28, 2005

Date: April 28, 2005 · 09:35 local
Place: Thomaston, GA
Airport: Thomaston-Upson County Airport
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N7053K
NTSB investigation: NTSBATL05LA076
Reported as: Piper PA20
Reported engine: Lycoming O290D2
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 7,500 total100 in this make and model6 in the last 90 days

N7053KRegistered now · Piper PA-20S/N 20-160 · Built 1950 Airframe modelPiper PA-20 Engine modelLycoming 0-290 series4 cycle

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) On landing at Thomaston-Upson County Airport (opn) runway 30, aircraft pulled hard left and departed runwya approximately 150 feet after landing. Aircraft came in contact with PAPI lighting system causing substantial damage to empennage. Investigation of tail wheel steering components revealed rudder to tail wheel steering arm, Piper aircraft part number 485615, had broken off at point of a previous repair.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON LANDING AT THOMASTON-UPSON COUNTY AIRPORT (OPN) RUNWAY 30, AIRCRAFT PULLED HARD LEFT AND DEPARTED RUNWYA APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET AFTER LANDING. AIRCRAFT CAME IN CONTACT WITH PAPI LIGHTING SYSTEM CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO EMPENNAGE. INVESTIGATION OF TAIL WHEEL STEERING COMPONENTS REVEALED RUDDER TO TAIL WHEEL STEERING ARM, PIPER AIRCRAFT PART NUMBER 485615, HAD BROKEN OFF AT POINT OF A PREVIOUS REPAIR.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ATL05LA076Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportThomaston, GAThe unapproved repair of the tailwheel rudder arm assembly, which resulted in an overload failure during touchdown and subsequent loss of control of the airplane and on-ground collision with an object.Apr 28, 2005 · Substantial damage