20091114051129A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Curtiss Wri Travel AIR · Fort Myers, FL · November 14, 2009

Date
November 14, 2009 · 10:17 local
Place
Fort Myers, FL
Airport
Page Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N3823
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA10LA063
Reported as
Curtiss Wri Travel AIR
Reported engine
Continental W670 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
3
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
5,284 total60 in this make and model127 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.

Aircraft landed on runway 5 around midfield, aircraft touched down on the runway, tower personnel observed the aircraft bounced on the runway. The aircraft departed the runway, came to rest upside down in the grass, on the south edge of runway five at the intersection of taxiway bravo. The passenger in aircraft stated, "the aircraft bounced off the runway and climbed to about 20-30 feet and aircraft veered to the right. After making correction and re-aligning back to the center line of the runway, the pilot attempted to touch down again when all of a sudden, the aircraft became airborne again but this time the right wings were raised for an unknown reason and again the aircraft veered to the right at a height of approx 35 ft. the pilot than added throttle in what may have been an attempt to abort the landing, with the right wings at an abnormal angle, FAR from horizontal. Immediately after, it appeared the right wing tips touched the ground in a grassy area causing the plane to make a sharp and abrupt turn to the right, causing the plane to spin and causing the prop and engine to hit the ground with enormous force." The pilot stated," just as the aircraft was slowing, a gust of wind hit the aircraft on the left side and it became airborne and climbed APPROXIMATELY15-20FT. Above the runway, I corrected with left rudder and aileron, I added full power and the engine did not respond, I shut off carb heat and reapplied power, the engine still did not respond and the aircraft touched down right wing low and turned to the right. I put the aircraft in a level attitude; aircraft departed to the right off the runway surface and flipped over on its back. The damage to the aircraft, indicated impact damage to the lower underside right wing tip which was embedded with dirt and grass and damage to propeller indicates aircraft engine had power. The damage to the aircraft fuselage, wings, and landing gear was substantial.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT LANDED ON RUNWAY 5 AROUND MIDFIELD, AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY, TOWER PERSONNEL OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED ON THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN IN THE GRASS, ON THE SOUTH EDGE OF RUNWAY FIVE AT THE INTERSECTION OF TAXIWAY BRAVO. THE PASSENGER IN AIRCRAFT STATED, "THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED OFF THE RUNWAY AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 20-30 FEET AND AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. AFTER MAKING CORRECTION AND RE-ALIGNING BACK TO THE CENTER LINE OF THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO TOUCH DOWN AGAIN WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN BUT THIS TIME THE RIGHT WINGS WERE RAISED FOR AN UNKNOWN REASON AND AGAIN THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AT A HEIGHT OF APPROX 35 FT. THE PILOT THAN ADDED THROTTLE IN WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN AN ATTEMPT TO ABORT THE LANDING, WITH THE RIGHT WINGS AT AN ABNORMAL ANGLE, FAR FROM HORIZONTAL. IMMEDIATELY AFTER, IT APPEARED THE RIGHT WING TIPS TOUCHED THE GROUND IN A GRASSY AREA CAUSING THE PLANE TO MAKE A SHARP AND ABRUPT TURN TO THE RIGHT, CAUSING THE PLANE TO SPIN AND CAUSING THE PROP AND ENGINE TO HIT THE GROUND WITH ENORMOUS FORCE." THE PILOT STATED," JUST AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS SLOWING, A GUST OF WIND HIT THE AIRCRAFT ON THE LEFT SIDE AND IT BECAME AIRBORNE AND CLIMBED APPROXIMATELY15-20FT. ABOVE THE RUNWAY, I CORRECTED WITH LEFT RUDDER AND AILERON, I ADDED FULL POWER AND THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND, I SHUT OFF CARB HEAT AND REAPPLIED POWER, THE ENGINE STILL DID NOT RESPOND AND THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN RIGHT WING LOW AND TURNED TO THE RIGHT. I PUT THE AIRCRAFT IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE; AIRCRAFT DEPARTED TO THE RIGHT OFF THE RUNWAY SURFACE AND FLIPPED OVER ON ITS BACK.THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT, INDICATED IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE LOWER UNDERSIDE RIGHT WING TIP WHICH WAS EMBEDDED WITH DIRT AND GRASS AND DAMAGE TO PROPELLER INDICATES AIRCRAFT ENGINE HAD POWER. THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE, WINGS, AND LANDING GEAR WAS SUBSTANTIAL.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.