OpenAirDocs.org

20110525012429I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Marietta, PA · May 25, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 25, 2011 · 16:00 local
Place
Marietta, PA
Airport
Donegal Springs Airpark
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N111MY
Reported as
Piper PA-23-250
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,501 total1,024 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days
N111MYRegistered now · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-7854092 · Built 1978Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250Engine modelLycoming IO-540 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.

Pilot was conducting traffic pattern takeoffs and landings in order to depart in his airplane with a passenger. (After the third landing and being 'current' per FAR 61.57). During the second landing, he allowed the aircraft to impact the ground, less than two meters short of the paved runway surface. This hard landing resulted in damage to the landing gear and flaps. The pilot stated that a cross wind existed and at the time thought he was experiencing a downdraft on final approach as significant as wind shear.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS CONDUCTING TRAFFIC PATTERN TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS IN ORDER TO DEPART IN HIS AIRPLANE WITH A PASSENGER. (AFTER THE THIRD LANDING AND BEING 'CURRENT' PER FAR 61.57). DURING THE SECOND LANDING, HE ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO IMPACT THE GROUND, LESS THAN TWO METERS SHORT OF THE PAVED RUNWAY SURFACE. THIS HARD LANDING RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR AND FLAPS. THE PILOT STATED THAT A CROSS WIND EXISTED AND AT THE TIME THOUGHT HE WAS EXPERIENCING A DOWNDRAFT ON FINAL APPROACH AS SIGNIFICANT AS WIND SHEAR.