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20110330005419I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Welt John L JR HONEY BEE · Pinconning, MI · March 30, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 30, 2011 · 16:30 local
Place
Pinconning, MI
Airport
Gross, Pinconning
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
N/A
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N447JW
Reported as
Welt John L JR Honey BEE
Reported engine
ROTAX 447
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
35 total15 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N447JWRegistration cancelled Feb 9, 2018 · Welt John L JR HONEY BEES/N JLW007 · Built 2010Airframe modelWelt John L JR HONEY BEEEngine modelRotax 4472 cycle

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.

A student sport pilot made a hard landing on MARCH30, 2011AT approximately 1630 hrs at the Pinconning, Michigan airport (gross 52I).the student pilot stated that he made a small adjustment to the horizontal stabilizer and wanted to see how much of a difference the adjustment had made. The auto gyro plane unexpectedly got off the ground and he had to go around the traffic pattern to land. He had noticed his decent was too steep and could not correct in time and landed hard on the 2600 foot long and 100 feet wide turf runway. He said that after he hit the runway hard the experimental built auto gyro bounced 20 to 25 feet in the air. The plane had tricycle gear made of fiberglass and was very springy. When the aircraft came down the second time the two bladed main rotors contacted the aft engine propeller damaging the propeller main rotor and vertical stab. The pilot was taken to a near by hospital for a possible concussion as a precaution. When I had contacted him by phone the following day he stated that he didn't intend to fly but the autogyroplane got airborne because of the horizontal stabilizer adjustment. His 90 day solo endorsement had expired and was not current to fly solo.

As the FAA filed it

A STUDENT SPORT PILOT MADE A HARD LANDING ON MARCH30, 2011AT APPROXIMATELY 1630 HRS AT THE PINCONNING, MICHIGAN AIRPORT (GROSS 52I).THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT HE MADE A SMALL ADJUSTMENT TO THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND WANTED TO SEE HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE THE ADJUSTMENT HAD MADE. THE AUTO GYRO PLANE UNEXPECTEDLY GOT OFF THE GROUND AND HE HAD TO GO AROUND THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND. HE HAD NOTICED HIS DECENT WAS TOO STEEP AND COULD NOT CORRECT IN TIME AND LANDED HARD ON THE 2600 FOOT LONG AND 100 FEET WIDE TURF RUNWAY.HE SAID THAT AFTER HE HIT THE RUNWAY HARD THE EXPERIMENTAL BUILT AUTO GYRO BOUNCED 20 TO 25 FEET IN THE AIR. THE PLANE HAD TRICYCLE GEAR MADE OF FIBERGLASS AND WAS VERY SPRINGY.WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CAME DOWN THE SECOND TIME THE TWO BLADED MAIN ROTORS CONTACTED THE AFT ENGINE PROPELLER DAMAGING THE PROPELLER MAIN ROTOR AND VERTICAL STAB. THE PILOT WAS TAKEN TO A NEAR BY HOSPITAL FOR A POSSIBLE CONCUSSION AS A PRECAUTION.WHEN I HAD CONTACTED HIM BY PHONE THE FOLLOWING DAY HE STATED THAT HE DIDN'T INTEND TO FLY BUT THE AUTOGYROPLANE GOT AIRBORNE BECAUSE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ADJUSTMENT.HIS 90 DAY SOLO ENDORSEMENT HAD EXPIRED AND WAS NOT CURRENT TO FLY SOLO.