20090515009229I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Boeing E75 · Reno, NV · May 15, 2009

Date
May 15, 2009 · 10:30 local
Place
Reno, NV
Airport
Reno/Stead
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N2388
Reported as
Boeing E75
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
346 total137 in this make and model8 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.

(-23) Landing runway 08 at 4SD on a clear day with a light breeze at about 110 degrees. Normal approach and flare. The pilot stated he was lulled into a relaxed state expecting a normal landing. The stearman is an airplane that has zero tolerance for a pilot being relaxed. The pilot continued, as the wheels touched and the stearman sensed that I was not fully alert, it began to turn to the right and lightly touched the left wing tip on the asphalt before I was able to stop it. Now fully alert, I corrected the turn to the right with left rudder and brake. The stearman, not willing to relinquish control so easily began a left turn attempting to enter a ground loop once more. However, as I was quicker this time I was again able to thwart this second attempt by the stearman to go into a ground loop. Result: paint and fabric scuffing on outer wing tips and a wiser pilot.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) LANDING RUNWAY 08 AT 4SD ON A CLEAR DAY WITH A LIGHT BREEZE AT ABOUT 110 DEGREES. NORMAL APPROACH AND FLARE. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS LULLED INTO A RELAXED STATE EXPECTING A NORMAL LANDING. THE STEARMAN IS AN AIRPLANE THAT HAS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR A PILOT BEING RELAXED. THE PILOT CONTINUED, AS THE WHEELS TOUCHED AND THE STEARMAN SENSED THAT I WAS NOT FULLY ALERT, IT BEGAN TO TURN TO THE RIGHT AND LIGHTLY TOUCHED THE LEFT WING TIP ON THE ASPHALT BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP IT. NOW FULLY ALERT, I CORRECTED THE TURN TO THE RIGHT WITH LEFT RUDDER AND BRAKE. THE STEARMAN, NOT WILLING TO RELINQUISH CONTROL SO EASILY BEGAN A LEFT TURN ATTEMPTING TO ENTER A GROUND LOOP ONCE MORE. HOWEVER, AS I WAS QUICKER THIS TIME I WAS AGAIN ABLE TO THWART THIS SECOND ATTEMPT BY THE STEARMAN TO GO INTO A GROUND LOOP. RESULT: PAINT AND FABRIC SCUFFING ON OUTER WING TIPS AND A WISER PILOT.