20091003022369I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amrgen AA-5 · Jackson, CA · October 3, 2009

Date: October 3, 2009 · 13:45 local
Place: Jackson, CA
Airport: Westover Field Amador County
Phase of flight: Takeoff
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N5840L
Reported as: Amrgen AA5
People aboard: 4
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,100 total30 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

N5840LRegistration cancelled Mar 19, 2012 · American AA-5S/N AA5-0040 · Built 1972 Airframe modelAmerican AA-5 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

During his take-off roll to the south and after the aircraft was airborne at approximately 50 feet, a helicopter lifted-off approximately 100 feet to the west. The pilot stated that the aircraft stopped flying and started a descent. Pilot lowered the nose and tried to pick up airspeed with negative result. The aircraft landed on the main with a nose high attitude. The nose gear of the aircraft collapsed after a hard touchdown allowing the propeller to strike the ground. The aircraft came to a stop on it’s nose. The pilot and the passengers were not hurt, the aircraft sustained minor damage to the nose gear, propeller and engine. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

As the FAA filed it

DURING HIS TAKE-OFF ROLL TO THE SOUTH AND AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS AIRBORNE AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET, A HELICOPTER LIFTED-OFF APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET TO THE WEST. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED FLYING AND STARTED A DESCENT. PILOT LOWERED THE NOSE AND TRIED TO PICK UP AIRSPEED WITH NEGATIVE RESULT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON THE MAIN WITH A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. THE NOSE GEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT COLLAPSED AFTER A HARD TOUCHDOWN ALLOWING THE PROPELLER TO STRIKE THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP ON IT’S NOSE. THE PILOT AND THE PASSENGERS WERE NOT HURT, THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR, PROPELLER AND ENGINE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED.