20081205853939A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Goodyear, AZ · December 5, 2008

Date
December 5, 2008 · 14:30 local
Place
Goodyear, AZ
Airport
Phoenix Goodyear
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
OXZS
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N268ML
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR09CA054
Reported as
Piper PA28161
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
199 total19 in this make and model19 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.

Pilot was performing touch and go operations when powering up after a hard landing to the left of the centerline. The pilot reported that aircraft pulled to the left approximately 45 degrees off of the centerline as power was applied to the aircraft. Skid marks from the nose wheel and right main tires were made for 300 feet arching to the left. Witness statements indicate that the left wing rose as the aircraft turned abruptly left on the runway. The aircraft continued off the runway hitting a runway marker sign with its right wing as the aircraft left the runway which substantially damaged the wing. The aircraft was reported to disappear in a cloud of dust as it traveled 485 feet across the desert leaving only one tire mark apparently made by the nose tire. The right main gear was found about 200 feet from the point of departure from the runway. The aircraft then hit a dip for a drainage grid at the edge of the adjoining taxiway and spun clockwise as viewed from above on the paved taxiway and came to a stop. The total distance traveled from the onset of the skid marks on the runway to where the aircraft stopped on the taxiway was about 800 feet. The nose wheel fork was bent to the left apparently from the forces when skidding during the hard left hand turn on the runway and the tail skid was bent to the right with side to side scrapping on the bottom consistent with the rotation to the right on the taxiway. The metal step on the right side of the aircraft was bent back, dirt was sprayed over the left had side of the aircraft aft of the step, and there were a couple gouges in the dirt aligning with the location of the step in the second half of the travel from the runway to the taxiway. Only accident related damage was found on the aircraft. No system or structural failures were found that could have caused the loss of control.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO OPERATIONS WHEN POWERING UP AFTER A HARD LANDING TO THE LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AIRCRAFT PULLED TO THE LEFT APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREES OFF OF THE CENTERLINE AS POWER WAS APPLIED TO THE AIRCRAFT. SKID MARKS FROM THE NOSE WHEEL AND RIGHT MAIN TIRES WERE MADE FOR 300 FEET ARCHING TO THE LEFT. WITNESS STATEMENTS INDICATE THAT THE LEFT WING ROSE AS THE AIRCRAFT TURNED ABRUPTLY LEFT ON THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED OFF THE RUNWAY HITTING A RUNWAY MARKER SIGN WITH ITS RIGHT WING AS THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE RUNWAY WHICH SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED THE WING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REPORTED TO DISAPPEAR IN A CLOUD OF DUST AS IT TRAVELED 485 FEET ACROSS THE DESERT LEAVING ONLY ONE TIRE MARK APPARENTLY MADE BY THE NOSE TIRE. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS FOUND ABOUT 200 FEET FROM THE POINT OF DEPARTURE FROM THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT THEN HIT A DIP FOR A DRAINAGE GRID AT THE EDGE OF THE ADJOINING TAXIWAY AND SPUN CLOCKWISE AS VIEWED FROM ABOVE ON THE PAVED TAXIWAY AND CAME TO A STOP. THE TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED FROM THE ONSET OF THE SKID MARKS ON THE RUNWAY TO WHERE THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED ON THE TAXIWAY WAS ABOUT 800 FEET. THE NOSE WHEEL FORK WAS BENT TO THE LEFT APPARENTLY FROM THE FORCES WHEN SKIDDING DURING THE HARD LEFT HAND TURN ON THE RUNWAY AND THE TAIL SKID WAS BENT TO THE RIGHT WITH SIDE TO SIDE SCRAPPING ON THE BOTTOM CONSISTENT WITH THE ROTATION TO THE RIGHT ON THE TAXIWAY. THE METAL STEP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS BENT BACK, DIRT WAS SPRAYED OVER THE LEFT HAD SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AFT OF THE STEP, AND THERE WERE A COUPLE GOUGES IN THE DIRT ALIGNING WITH THE LOCATION OF THE STEP IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE TRAVEL FROM THE RUNWAY TO THE TAXIWAY. ONLY ACCIDENT RELATED DAMAGE WAS FOUND ON THE AIRCRAFT. NO SYSTEM OR STRUCTURAL FAILURES WERE FOUND THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE LOSS OF CONTROL.

NTSB investigation

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