20090411004839I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr VIPERJET · Pasco, WA · April 11, 2009

Date: April 11, 2009 · 16:03 local
Place: Pasco, WA
Airport: Tri-Cities
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N520VF
Reported as: Amtr Viperjet
Reported engine: VAJ85
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,580 total28 in this make and model22 in the last 90 days

N520VFRegistered now · Hanchette Scott VIPERJETS/N 0001 · Built 1999 Airframe modelHanchette Scott VIPERJET Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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) This experimental jet powered aircraft was conducting a training flight and was making an approach under gusty conditions. Aircraft got very vertical and touched down very hard on the main landing gear, compressing the mains sufficient to allow the gear doors to momentarially contact the runway surface. The nose wheel then touched down hard and collapsed. Damage to the aircraft was surface grinding of the main and nose gear doors, the nose cone lower skin, and the grinding and bending of the nose mounted pitot tube. Further inspection found no damage to the main structure or nose wheel box. The nose gear collapsed due to the shearing of the nose gear hydraulic actuator bolt.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THIS EXPERIMENTAL JET POWERED AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTING A TRAINING FLIGHT AND WAS MAKING AN APPROACH UNDER GUSTY CONDITIONS. AIRCRAFT GOT VERY VERTICAL AND TOUCHED DOWN VERY HARD ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR, COMPRESSING THE MAINS SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW THE GEAR DOORS TO MOMENTARIALLY CONTACT THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE NOSE WHEEL THEN TOUCHED DOWN HARD AND COLLAPSED. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS SURFACE GRINDING OF THE MAIN AND NOSE GEAR DOORS, THE NOSE CONE LOWER SKIN, AND THE GRINDING AND BENDING OF THE NOSE MOUNTED PITOT TUBE. FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND NO DAMAGE TO THE MAIN STRUCTURE OR NOSE WHEEL BOX. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED DUE TO THE SHEARING OF THE NOSE GEAR HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR BOLT.

Other reports on N520VF · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20020313004269IGround Taxi, Other Airplane · Saint George, UT(-23) During landing, the canopy popped open due to gusty winds. The pilot taxied on the runway to the next taxiway, and while turning the aircraft was pushed by a strong gust of wind and the gear collapsed.[privacy data omitted]Mar 13, 2002 · Minor damage Incident 20000724035179IRoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · Pasco, WA(-23)Nose gear collapsed on rollout after landing. Mount weld holding hydraulic actuator in placed failed, thus hydraulic pressure to hold gear in down position was negated as actuator was allowed to move from a fixed position. Minor damage to nose gear of…Jul 24, 2000 · Minor damage