20080713857499I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Lear 45 · Saratoga, NY · July 13, 2008

Date
July 13, 2008 · 22:00 local
Place
Saratoga, NY
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
N9VA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N311BP
Reported as
Lear 45
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
0 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

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.

While on rnav/gps approach to r/w 5 at 5B2, left wing and landing gear contacted trees that were approx. 50-55 feet tall and were approx. 1000-1200 feet short of the r/w. damage to the wing was: winglet leading edge dented 12" apove nav light, wing leading edge dented 1/2 way from root to winglet, stall fence directly below wing bent outward approx. 45 degrees, lower skin behind stall fence dented approx 2 by 6 inches. Left flap badly damaged most of the entire length. Landing light on left main landing gear missing and the frame was bent and twisted, with foliage evident. Subsequent investigation revealed that the airport survey was incorrect by 500 feet. Flight check conducted an evaluation of the approach, and removed the approach from its list of approved IFR approaches until trees were removed and a new survey completed. That was accomplished, flight conducted a subsequent evaluation and the approach was returned to service.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE ON RNAV/GPS APPROACH TO R/W 5 AT 5B2, LEFT WING AND LANDING GEAR CONTACTED TREES THAT WERE APPROX. 50-55 FEET TALL AND WERE APPROX. 1000-1200 FEET SHORT OF THE R/W. DAMAGE TO THE WING WAS: WINGLET LEADING EDGE DENTED 12" APOVE NAV LIGHT, WING LEADING EDGE DENTED 1/2 WAY FROM ROOT TO WINGLET, STALL FENCE DIRECTLY BELOW WING BENT OUTWARD APPROX. 45 DEGREES, LOWER SKIN BEHIND STALL FENCE DENTED APPROX 2 BY 6 INCHES. LEFT FLAP BADLY DAMAGED MOST OF THE ENTIRE LENGTH. LANDING LIGHT ON LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR MISSING AND THE FRAME WAS BENT AND TWISTED, WITH FOLIAGE EVIDENT. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRPORT SURVEY WAS INCORRECT BY 500 FEET. FLIGHT CHECK CONDUCTED AN EVALUATION OF THE APPROACH, AND REMOVED THE APPROACH FROM ITS LIST OF APPROVED IFR APPROACHES UNTIL TREES WERE REMOVED AND A NEW SURVEY COMPLETED. THAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED, FLIGHT CONDUCTED A SUBSEQUENT EVALUATION AND THE APPROACH WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE.