20080809843299I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · 582 · Cortez, CO · August 9, 2008

Date: August 9, 2008 · 08:00 local
Place: Cortez, CO
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3330C
Reported as: 582
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 500 total500 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N3330CRegistration cancelled Dec 31, 2022 · Topdog Ultralights 582S/N C0A02TDA · Built 2000 Airframe modelTopdog Ultralights 582 Engine modelRotax 582SER2 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) Aircraft is an elsa weight-shift-control. Approximately 4 miles west of the Cortez, CO airport (cez) the aircraft was in cruise flight. Pilot heard loud noise from engine area and immediately felt vibration so shutoff the engine. Glided down to a rough landing in an undeveloped area next to a road. During the landing, aircraft nosewheel hit a rock which bent and broken the keel-to-wing nose strut. No other damage occurred to the aircraft during the landing process. Visual inspection of the propeller revealed major damage and delamination to one prop blade. The cause of this damage is unknown and is believed to have occurred in-flight, which prompted the pilot to shut down the engine in-flight. The aircraft manufacturer states that the keel-to-wing nose strut is not a structural component.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT IS AN ELSA WEIGHT-SHIFT-CONTROL. APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES WEST OF THE CORTEZ, CO AIRPORT (CEZ) THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT. PILOT HEARD LOUD NOISE FROM ENGINE AREA AND IMMEDIATELY FELT VIBRATION SO SHUTOFF THE ENGINE. GLIDED DOWN TO A ROUGH LANDING IN AN UNDEVELOPED AREA NEXT TO A ROAD. DURING THE LANDING, AIRCRAFT NOSEWHEEL HIT A ROCK WHICH BENT AND BROKEN THE KEEL-TO-WING NOSE STRUT. NO OTHER DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE LANDING PROCESS. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE PROPELLER REVEALED MAJOR DAMAGE AND DELAMINATION TO ONE PROP BLADE. THE CAUSE OF THIS DAMAGE IS UNKNOWN AND IS BELIEVED TO HAVE OCCURRED IN-FLIGHT, WHICH PROMPTED THE PILOT TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE IN-FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER STATES THAT THE KEEL-TO-WING NOSE STRUT IS NOT A STRUCTURAL COMPONENT.