20071229829009I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Saipan Island, MP · December 29, 2007

Date: December 29, 2007 · 08:11 local
Place: Saipan Island, MP
Airport: Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: Z8TA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4254R
Reported as: Piper PA32300
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,325 total23 in this make and model23 in the last 90 days

N4254RRegistered now · Piper PA-32-300S/N 32-40625 · Built 1969 Airframe modelPiper PA-32-300 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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) Upon touchdown the aircraft veered off the runway to the left in a grassy area between the runway and the parallel taxiway. The aircraft struck the VASI transformer box with the right flap at about the midpoint of the flap. The resulting damage was a tear in the trailing edge of the flap approximately 4 inches long and one inch wide. The pilot was uncertain as to the cause of loss of control, but suggested a wind gust may have contributed. Landing runway was 07 and the wind was reported as 060 at 8 knots. This incident occurred across the international date line resulting in a FAA notification date of 12/29 and a FSDO notification date of 12/28.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) UPON TOUCHDOWN THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY TO THE LEFT IN A GRASSY AREA BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE VASI TRANSFORMER BOX WITH THE RIGHT FLAP AT ABOUT THE MIDPOINT OF THE FLAP. THE RESULTING DAMAGE WAS A TEAR IN THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE FLAP APPROXIMATELY 4 INCHES LONG AND ONE INCH WIDE. THE PILOT WAS UNCERTAIN AS TO THE CAUSE OF LOSS OF CONTROL, BUT SUGGESTED A WIND GUST MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED. LANDING RUNWAY WAS 07 AND THE WIND WAS REPORTED AS 060 AT 8 KNOTS. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED ACROSS THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE RESULTING IN A FAA NOTIFICATION DATE OF 12/29 AND A FSDO NOTIFICATION DATE OF 12/28.