OpenAirDocs.org

20100204027649I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-180 · Ocotillo Wells, CA · February 4, 2010

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
February 4, 2010 · 15:20 local
Place
Ocotillo Wells, CA
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7264W
Reported as
Piper PA-28-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
250 total100 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N7264WRegistered now · Piper PA-28-180S/N 28-1097Airframe modelPiper PA-28-180Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 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.

I contacted pilot privacy data omitted at the aircraft N7264W on 02/05/2010 at approximately 1000 hours. privacy data omitted Was busy trying to repair his airplane, in this case the left wingtip, the nose strut and the propeller. privacy data omitted Told me that he landed the previous day at about 15:30 hours. He said the conditions looked excellent and the winds were light. He said as he landed he could immediately tell that the unimproved surface was too soft. He said by the time he realized the surface was too soft, his airplane had already begun to sink into the soft sand. As he attempted to steer the airplane during the rollout after landing, the nose strut collapsed. privacy data omitted Said as the gear collapsed in the soft sand, the plane dipped hard to the left, and the left wingtip hit the ground, and as it hit the plane was tilted hard to the left and the prop also started to strike the ground. privacy data omitted Said he immediately turned the engine off to keep the prop from doing any serious damage. I looked at the surface of the field. It was too soft to land safely. The airport operations officer came to the scene and told me the airport has been closed (by published NOTAM) due to the heavy rains.

As the FAA filed it

I CONTACTED PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AT THE AIRCRAFT N7264W ON 02/05/2010 AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 HOURS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS BUSY TRYING TO REPAIR HIS AIRPLANE, IN THIS CASE THE LEFT WINGTIP, THE NOSE STRUT AND THE PROPELLER. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TOLD ME THAT HE LANDED THE PREVIOUS DAY AT ABOUT 15:30 HOURS. HE SAID THE CONDITIONS LOOKED EXCELLENT AND THE WINDS WERE LIGHT. HE SAID AS HE LANDED HE COULD IMMEDIATELY TELL THAT THE UNIMPROVED SURFACE WAS TOO SOFT. HE SAID BY THE TIME HE REALIZED THE SURFACE WAS TOO SOFT, HIS AIRPLANE HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO SINK INTO THE SOFT SAND. AS HE ATTEMPTED TO STEER THE AIRPLANE DURING THE ROLLOUT AFTER LANDING, THE NOSE STRUT COLLAPSED. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID AS THE GEAR COLLAPSED IN THE SOFT SAND, THE PLANE DIPPED HARD TO THE LEFT, AND THE LEFT WINGTIP HIT THE GROUND, AND AS IT HIT THE PLANE WAS TILTED HARD TO THE LEFT AND THE PROP ALSO STARTED TO STRIKE THE GROUND. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE ENGINE OFF TO KEEP THE PROP FROM DOING ANY SERIOUS DAMAGE. I LOOKED AT THE SURFACE OF THE FIELD. IT WAS TOO SOFT TO LAND SAFELY. THE AIRPORT OPERATIONS OFFICER CAME TO THE SCENE AND TOLD ME THE AIRPORT HAS BEEN CLOSED (BY PUBLISHED NOTAM) DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINS.