# Incident 20100204027649I: Piper PA-28-180, Ocotillo Wells, CA, February 4, 2010

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 4, 2010, 15:20 local time
- Place: Ocotillo Wells, CA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.1445° N, 116.1342° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Ocotillo Wells, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.1445&lon=-116.1342&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7264W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7264W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-180
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 250 total, 100 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100204027649I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.