20091023022329I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr TF-51 · Mesa, AZ · October 23, 2009

Date
October 23, 2009 · 13:42 local
Place
Mesa, AZ
Airport
Falcon Fld
Phase of flight
Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N451DT
Reported as
Amtr TF51
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
15,000 total6 in this make and model210 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.

At approximately 1300 MST, Friday, October 23, 2009 at Falcon field (ffz) AZ, N451DT, an experimental, scale P-51 mustang, piloted by james w. doane (certificate number 537485491) received ATIS, taxi clearance, and was cleared for take off runway 22R (22L was closed) for closed pattern touch and goes. Once airborne, the pilot realized the radio was inaudible with take off power setting and broadcast to tower that he would be returning for a full stop landing. Once on downwind, configured, and at a lower power setting, the radio was audible and the pilot was able to acknowledge landing clearance. After two bounces upon touch down, the pilot initiated a go around and flew the circuit again and was cleared to land following a light twin. The light twin remained on the runway longer than anticipated so a second go around was initiated. While on downwind, tower asked experimental P-51 to fly a wide downwind to allow for three departures. Once cleared to land, the pilot bounced once and touched down long in the touch down zone. With the tail wheel down in a three point attitude, forward vision was obsecured for the pilot and the end of the runway arrived unexpectedly. With too much energy in the turn (speed estimated 30-40 knots), the pilot attempted to turn the aircraft left onto the last taxi way. Immediately, the right main landing gear folded inboard allowing the right wing tip to contact the ground. As the aircraft's momentum moved towards the outside of the turn, the left main gear folded outboard. The wooded, four bladed propeller shattered while striking the ground. The aircraft skidded to a stop on the radiator belly scoop in approximately 100 feet and remained on the taxi way. The tower was notified and normal shut down and evacuation of the aircraft proceeded. Minimal damage was incurred by the airframe, but engine propeller and landing gear will be replaced. Aircraft was lifted and cleared off taxi way.

As the FAA filed it

AT APPROXIMATELY 1300 MST, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009 AT FALCON FIELD (FFZ) AZ, N451DT, AN EXPERIMENTAL, SCALE P-51 MUSTANG, PILOTED BY JAMES W. DOANE (CERTIFICATE NUMBER 537485491) RECEIVED ATIS, TAXI CLEARANCE, AND WAS CLEARED FOR TAKE OFF RUNWAY 22R (22L WAS CLOSED) FOR CLOSED PATTERN TOUCH AND GOES. ONCE AIRBORNE, THE PILOT REALIZED THE RADIO WAS INAUDIBLE WITH TAKE OFF POWER SETTING AND BROADCAST TO TOWER THAT HE WOULD BE RETURNING FOR A FULL STOP LANDING. ONCE ON DOWNWIND, CONFIGURED, AND AT A LOWER POWER SETTING, THE RADIO WAS AUDIBLE AND THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE LANDING CLEARANCE. AFTER TWO BOUNCES UPON TOUCH DOWN, THE PILOT INITIATED A GO AROUND AND FLEW THE CIRCUIT AGAIN AND WAS CLEARED TO LAND FOLLOWING A LIGHT TWIN. THE LIGHT TWIN REMAINED ON THE RUNWAY LONGER THAN ANTICIPATED SO A SECOND GO AROUND WAS INITIATED. WHILE ON DOWNWIND, TOWER ASKED EXPERIMENTAL P-51 TO FLY A WIDE DOWNWIND TO ALLOW FOR THREE DEPARTURES. ONCE CLEARED TO LAND, THE PILOT BOUNCED ONCE AND TOUCHED DOWN LONG IN THE TOUCH DOWN ZONE. WITH THE TAIL WHEEL DOWN IN A THREE POINT ATTITUDE, FORWARD VISION WAS OBSECURED FOR THE PILOT AND THE END OF THE RUNWAY ARRIVED UNEXPECTEDLY. WITH TOO MUCH ENERGY IN THE TURN (SPEED ESTIMATED 30-40 KNOTS), THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE AIRCRAFT LEFT ONTO THE LAST TAXI WAY. IMMEDIATELY, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR FOLDED INBOARD ALLOWING THE RIGHT WING TIP TO CONTACT THE GROUND. AS THE AIRCRAFT'S MOMENTUM MOVED TOWARDS THE OUTSIDE OF THE TURN, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR FOLDED OUTBOARD. THE WOODED, FOUR BLADED PROPELLER SHATTERED WHILE STRIKING THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP ON THE RADIATOR BELLY SCOOP IN APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET AND REMAINED ON THE TAXI WAY. THE TOWER WAS NOTIFIED AND NORMAL SHUT DOWN AND EVACUATION OF THE AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED. MINIMAL DAMAGE WAS INCURRED BY THE AIRFRAME, BUT ENGINE PROPELLER AND LANDING GEAR WILL BE REPLACED. AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED AND CLEARED OFF TAXI WAY.

Other reports on N451DT · 1

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