20090913018439I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Gulstm G-44A · Ravendale, CA · September 13, 2009

Date: September 13, 2009 · 15:30 local
Place: Ravendale, CA
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N663G
Reported as: Gulstm G44A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 29,200 total1,700 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days

N663GRegistered now · Grumman G-44AS/N 1429 · Built 1945 Airframe modelGrumman G-44A Engine modelLycoming GO-480 seriesReciprocating

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.

The aircraft was in cruise flight when the pilot noticed the left engine oil pressure was low. The left propeller was feathered and the pilot diverted toward the nearest airport at Ravendale, CA (O39), several miles away. While enroute, the right engine oil pressure began to drop and the right propeller began to autofeather. The pilot feathered the right propeller and started pumping the landng gear down. The pilot landed on a gravel road and the gear unlocked, causing gravel abrasions to the keel strip. The left wing struck a frangible road sign, causing nonstructural damage to the outboard wing leading edge skin.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN THE PILOT NOTICED THE LEFT ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WAS LOW. THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS FEATHERED AND THE PILOT DIVERTED TOWARD THE NEAREST AIRPORT AT RAVENDALE, CA (O39), SEVERAL MILES AWAY. WHILE ENROUTE, THE RIGHT ENGINE OIL PRESSURE BEGAN TO DROP AND THE RIGHT PROPELLER BEGAN TO AUTOFEATHER. THE PILOT FEATHERED THE RIGHT PROPELLER AND STARTED PUMPING THE LANDNG GEAR DOWN. THE PILOT LANDED ON A GRAVEL ROAD AND THE GEAR UNLOCKED, CAUSING GRAVEL ABRASIONS TO THE KEEL STRIP. THE LEFT WING STRUCK A FRANGIBLE ROAD SIGN, CAUSING NONSTRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE OUTBOARD WING LEADING EDGE SKIN.