What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
privacy data omitted Stated the purpose of the flight was to pick up his wife and child in Ann Arbor (karb). He keeps the aircraft at the willow run airport (kyip) and was planning on flying VFR from kyip to karb (the mishap airport) then pick up an IFR clearance to charlevoix (kcvx). He indicated he had checked the noaa weather on-line then called the ASOS phone number for karb. He said the clouds were scattered and the reported winds were 290 degrees at 10 knots. The flight was uneventful until he was on approach to runway 24 at karb. He was on the VASI glidepath and was holding about a 15 degree crab into the wind. He could feel the gusts buffet the aircraft and hear the engine/prop sounds change. He recalls the tower giving him 3 different wind calls on final, varying in direction from 260 to 300. Coming near the threshold, he recalls taking out the crab and aligning the aircraft with the runway and the airspeed being 90 knots then 85 knots just before the right main mount impacted the runway. He believes the aircraft was approximately 3 feet in the air when it stopped flying and dropped onto the runway. He said the tower controller told him it looked like smoke was coming from his right wing, so he immediately shut down the aircraft. When he saw that there was no fire he requested a tow to the ramp. privacy data omitted Feels that he was caught in a metrological event that caused his aircraft to loose lift and impact the runway. I spoke with the karb tower, and the wind was reported as coming from the northwest at 18 knots, gusts to 25 knots. The damage to the mishap aircraft appears to be consistent withprivacy data omitted statement. The landing gear and flaps were properly positioned and the aircraft showed no other obvious damage other than that caused by the hard landing on the right main gear. The smoke that the tower reportedly saw was likely fuel that was coming out of the ruptured fuel tank in the right wing that was being blow by the propeller blast. Upon further investagation, right wing spar is bent
As the FAA filed it
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO PICK UP HIS WIFE AND CHILD IN ANN ARBOR (KARB). HE KEEPS THE AIRCRAFT AT THE WILLOW RUN AIRPORT (KYIP) AND WAS PLANNING ON FLYING VFR FROM KYIP TO KARB (THE MISHAP AIRPORT) THEN PICK UP AN IFR CLEARANCE TO CHARLEVOIX (KCVX). HE INDICATED HE HAD CHECKED THE NOAA WEATHER ON-LINE THEN CALLED THE ASOS PHONE NUMBER FOR KARB. HE SAID THE CLOUDS WERE SCATTERED AND THE REPORTED WINDS WERE 290 DEGREES AT 10 KNOTS. THE FLIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL HE WAS ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 24 AT KARB. HE WAS ON THE VASI GLIDEPATH AND WAS HOLDING ABOUT A 15 DEGREE CRAB INTO THE WIND. HE COULD FEEL THE GUSTS BUFFET THE AIRCRAFT AND HEAR THE ENGINE/PROP SOUNDS CHANGE. HE RECALLS THE TOWER GIVING HIM 3 DIFFERENT WIND CALLS ON FINAL, VARYING IN DIRECTION FROM 260 TO 300. COMING NEAR THE THRESHOLD, HE RECALLS TAKING OUT THE CRAB AND ALIGNING THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRSPEED BEING 90 KNOTS THEN 85 KNOTS JUST BEFORE THE RIGHT MAIN MOUNT IMPACTED THE RUNWAY. HE BELIEVES THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET IN THE AIR WHEN IT STOPPED FLYING AND DROPPED ONTO THE RUNWAY. HE SAID THE TOWER CONTROLLER TOLD HIM IT LOOKED LIKE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM HIS RIGHT WING, SO HE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT. WHEN HE SAW THAT THERE WAS NO FIRE HE REQUESTED A TOW TO THE RAMP. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FEELS THAT HE WAS CAUGHT IN A METROLOGICAL EVENT THAT CAUSED HIS AIRCRAFT TO LOOSE LIFT AND IMPACT THE RUNWAY. I SPOKE WITH THE KARB TOWER, AND THE WIND WAS REPORTED AS COMING FROM THE NORTHWEST AT 18 KNOTS, GUSTS TO 25 KNOTS. THE DAMAGE TO THE MISHAP AIRCRAFT APPEARS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATEMENT. THE LANDING GEAR AND FLAPS WERE PROPERLY POSITIONED AND THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED NO OTHER OBVIOUS DAMAGE OTHER THAN THAT CAUSED BY THE HARD LANDING ON THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR. THE SMOKE THAT THE TOWER REPORTEDLY SAW WAS LIKELY FUEL THAT WAS COMING OUT OF THE RUPTURED FUEL TANK IN THE RIGHT WING THAT WAS BEING BLOW BY THE PROPELLER BLAST. UPON FURTHER INVESTAGATION, RIGHT WING SPAR IS BENT
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.