20110404006689I

PRIVATE PILOT WALSH SAID HE WORKED ON THE CARBURATOR WITH A NON-A&P MECHANIC ALL WEEKEND PRIOR TO HIS INCIDENT. WALSH SAID THAT HE AND THE MECHANIC FRIEND (AUTO MECHANIC) INSTALLED A REPLACEMENT CARB ON HIS EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, AND THE THROTTLE LINKAGE WAS STICKY AT TIMES. WALSH SAID THAT THEY PERFORMED 6-7 FULL POWER RUN-UPS ATTEMPTING TO ADJUST THE CARB AND THE STICKY LINKAGE. WALSH SAID HE EVEN TOOK THE RUNWAY AT OCEANSIDE MUNI TWICE AND DID HIGH SPEED TAXI CHECKS. WALSH, WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE STICKING THROTTLE, INITIALLY TOLD ME THAT THEY NEVER REALLY GOT RID OF THE STICKING FRICTION ON THE THROTTLE BODY. THEREAFTER, WHEN I ASKED WHY HE THEN FLEW THE PLANE WITH A KNOWN MECHANICAL PROBLEM, HE SAID THAT THEY DID GET RID OF THE PROBLEM.THE MAINTENANCE WAS ALL DONE ON THE 2ND AND 3RD OF APRIL. ON MONDAY THE 4TH, WALSH DECIDED TO GO FLY (HE SAYS TEST FLY) THE AIRPLANE. INITIALLY HE SAID HE TOOK OFF AND THEN CAME BACK AROUND TO LAND. THEN I MENTIONED TO HIM THAT SEVERAL WITNESSES TOLD ME HE TOOK OFF AT 11:03 AND DIDN'T CRASH ON RUNWAY 24 UNTIL 11:22 AND HE WAS SEEN DOING SEVERAL FLYOVERS PRIOR TO LANDING. WALSH AGAIN DENIED THIS THEN SAID THAT MAYBE HE DID DO ALL THE FLYOVERS AFTERALL. I ASKED WALSH TO DESCRIBE THE APPROACH TO LAND AND THE FLARE TO LAND TO THE BEST OF HIS RECOLLECTION, CONSIDERING THE OTHER MEMORY DEFICITS HE HAD DISPLAYED THUS FAR.WALSH SAID THE WIND WAS VERY GUSTY(CONFIRMED GUSTING TO 15 KTS) AND THAT AS HE APPROACHED TO LAND HE WAS HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE WITH THE WIND. HE SAID THAT SUDDENLY THE THROTTLE BECAME STUCK AND AS HE ROUNDED OUT TO FLARE, HE ADDED TOO MUCH POWER AS HE TRIED TO OVERCOME THE STICKINESS OF THE THROTTLE. WALSH CLAIMED THAT AS THE POWER CAME IN TOO HIGH IT CREATED TORQUE TO THE EXTENT THAT THE RIGHT WING ACTUALLY STARTED TO RISE UP CREATING A LEFT TURN AND DROVE HIM OFF CENTERLINE. WALSH SAID THAT HE COULD NOT REDUCE POWER AND SO INSTEAD OF CONTINUED FLIGHT, HE FORCED THE PLANE INTO THE GROUND AND LANDED IN THE DIRT SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY 24. WALSH SAID INITIALLY THAT HE NEVER EVEN TOUCHED THE RUNWAY SURFACE ONLY DIRT.THE AIRPORT OPERATIONS MANAGER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WITNESSED THE ENTIRE EVENT AS HE STOOD JUST SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TOLD ME THAT WALSH CAME INTO LAND ON RUNWAY 24, AND THE WINDS WERE VERY GUSTY. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID HE WATCHED WALSH FLARE DIRECTLY OVER THE RUNWAY, ADJUST POWER, THEN SLAM DOWN VERY HARD ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE WHICH CREATED A BOUNCE, THEN PORPOISED AND THEN SAID THE PLANE CAME DOWN A SECOND TIME HARD SKIDDING OFF THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. UPON ENTERING THE DIRT AS HE SKIDDED OFF, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID THE NOSE-WHEEL BROKE OFF AND THE WOOD PROP STRUCK THE GROUND AND SKIDDED TO A STOP.WHEN I MENTIONED THIS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ACCOUNT OF HIS LANDING, WALSH AGAIN DENIED IT, ONLY TO CHANGE HIS STORY AGAIN A FEW HOURS LATER WHEN HE CALLED ME BACK. WALSH THEN SAID THAT HE DID SLAM THE PLANE DOWN AND BOUNCE AND THAT MAYBE THE WIND WAS THE REAL PROBLEM. HE INCLUDED THAT IN HIS 30 YEARS OF FLYING HE HAS NEVER HAD A BAD LANDING AND THAT HE CAN FLY AS WELL NOW AS HE COULD 30 YEARS AGO WHEN HE WAS IN HIS 40'S. VISUAL EVIDENCE DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THAT WALSH IN FACT HIT THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY, DAMAGED THE PLANE TO SOME EXTENT, THEN EXITED THE RUNWAY TO THE SOUTH SKIDDING IN THE DIRT. THE DIRT SHOWED TWO AREAS WHERE THE GEAR BROKE OFF AND THE PROP SLAMMED INTO THE GROUND.