# Incident 20080409834859I: Scaled 151, Mojave, CA, April 9, 2008 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 9, 2008, 16:30 local time - Place: Mojave, CA - Airport: Mojave - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 35.0525° N, 118.1740° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Mojave, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0525&lon=-118.1740&mi=10 - Aircraft: N151SC, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N151SC) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Scaled Composites 151 (registry code 05616XQ, https://openairdocs.org/model/scaled-composites-151) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4B (registry code 52194, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-jt15d-4b) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: SCALED 151 - Reported engine: PWA JT15D5 - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080409834859I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23)ON APRIL 9, 2008, THE ARES AIRCRAFT WAS PREPPED FOR A PLANNED 2 HOUR SORTIE FROM AN AIRFIELD WITHIN THE R-2508 COMPLEX. WEATHER WAS GOOD WITH VARIABLE WINDS LESS THEN 10 KNOTS FORECAST FOR DEPARTURE AND RECOVERY. ALOFT, THERE WERE TWO AIRMETS FOR TURBULENCE (SFS TO 150 AND 180 TO 410) ASSOCIATED WITH THE WINDS OVER THE LOCAL MOUNTAINS AND THE 100 KNOT JET STREAM OVERHEAD. I TOOK OFF AT 2135Z. CLIMB OUT WAS TOWARDS THE FIRST WAYPOINT LOCATED WITHIN THE ISABELLA MOA IN THE R2508 COMPLEX. CLIMB-OUT SPEEDS VARIED BETWEEN 140-160KIAS. UPON REACHING THE INITIAL WAYPOINT AT APPROXIMATELY FL240 I STARTED A LEFT HAND ORBIT TO REACH THE TEST ALTITUDE OF FL270. AFTER COMPLETING ONE ORBIT I WAS LEVEL AT FL270 AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. PASSING THROUGH 180KIAS, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A SMALL AMPLITUDE PITCH OSCILLATION FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY A G-BREAK. I HAD THE IMPRESSION SOMETHING HAD DEPARTED THE AIRPLANE AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE THROTTLE TO IDLE AND GOT THE NOSE UP TO SLOW THE AIRPLANE. AFTER PERFORMING A CONTROLLABILITY CHECK, I IMMEDIATELY BEGAN A SLOW DESCENT AND LEVELED AT 14,000. SELECTED THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN AND ONLY HAD TWO GREEN LIGHTS (NOSE AND LEFT). CHASE CAME ONBOARD AND WAS ABLE TO VISUALLY CONFIRM THAT A PORTION OF THE AFT FAIRING HAD DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT AND THE SIDE FAIRING WAS JAMMED IN THE RIGHT GEAR WELL PREVENTING THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR FROM FULLY EXTENDING. MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CLEAR THE FAIRING FROM THE GEAR WELL WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. I CONTINUED TO ORBIT NORTH EAST OF MOJAVE IN ORDER TO BURN OFF FUEL AND GET THE AIRPLANE DOWN TO A LOWER LANDING WEIGHT. WHILE ORBITING, THE SCALED TEAM ON THE GROUND WAS ABLE TO COORDINATE TO MOJAVE AND SPACEPORT CRASH RESCUE RESPONSE AND COMMUNICATE THE STATUS OF THE AIRCRAFT. AT 2315Z WITH APPROXIMATLEY 450 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING ONBOARD, I STARTED A DESCENT FOR RWY30 AT MOJAVE. WINDS WERE OUT OF THE WEST AT 25 GUSTING TO 30 KNOTS SO A WING DOWN; TOP RUDDER CROSS WIND LANDING TECHNIQUE WAS USED. THIS ALLOWED ME TO KEEP THE RIGHT WING OFF THE RUNWAY FOR THE LONGEST POSSIBLE TIME DUE TO THE CROSS WIND FROM THE LEFT AND ALSO HELPED IN KEEPING THE AIRPLANE ON THE RUNWAY DUE TO THE AIRPLANE'S DESIRE TO WEATHERVANE INTO THE WIND. IMMEDIATELY UPON LEFT MAIN TOUCHDOWN I DEPLOYED THE SPEED BRAKES AND SELECTED THE ENGINE TO CUTOFF. NOSE WHEEL STEERING AND LIGHT BRAKING WERE USED TO KEEP DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING ROLLOUT. BEFORE COMING TO A STOP I CLOSED THE FIREWALL SHUTOFF VALVE AND THEN SELECTED THE MAIN SWITCH OFF. I QUICKLY OPENEND THE CANOPY AND EXITED THE AIRPLANE. CRASH RESCUE WERE ON THE SCENE IMMEDIATELY BUT TOOK NO ACTION SINCE THERE WERE NO FLUIDS OR SMOKE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE SCENE WAS SECURED BY MOJAVE AIR AND SPACEPORT STAFF WITH SCALED SUPPORT. WE WERE ABLE TO JACK THE AIRPLANE UP ON THE RIGHT SIDE, CUT AWAY THE FAIRING BLOCKING THE GEAR WELL AND EXTEND THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE GEARL LOCKS WERE PUT IN PLACE AND THE AIRPLANE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE HANGAR. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE PAYLOAD AND ONLY MINIMAL, NON-STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING TIP AND NAVIGATION LIGHT ASSEMBLY. ## Other reports on N151SC (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20130114000649I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130114000649I), Jan 14, 2013: Scaled Composites Inc 151 (N151SC), Mojave, CA, Minor damage. Pilot was conducting flight test duties and became distracted on approach to runway. Factors were a modified (abbreviated) approach pattern and possible… - [Incident 20110907020199I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110907020199I), Sep 7, 2011: Scaled Composites Inc 151 (N151SC), Mojave, CA, Minor damage. 09/07/11 Received notification from Scaled composites that one of their aircraft had been involved in an incident on rnwy 30 at kmhv airport. Requested… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.