20110526009699A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-22-160 · Yakima, WA · May 26, 2011

Date
May 26, 2011 · 11:45 local
Place
Yakima, WA
Airport
Yakima Air Terminal/Mcallister
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N8712D
Reported as
Piper PA-22-160
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
242 total35 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

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 returning from a cross country flight from Oregon when he contacted Yakima ATC and received a clearance to land straight in on runway 27. Reported winds were 210 at 6KTS. As the main wheels touched down pilot stated a gust of wind lifted his left wing and he was unable to correct in sufficient time, losing control and ground looping the aircraft. The right wing tip hit the runway as the aircraft yawed left and the right main gear collapsed under the fuselage. The propeller lightly impacted the runway at idle. The pilot informed ATC, shut down the aircraft and exited through the front right side door. There was no fuel leaks or post accident fire. The pilot reported no injuries.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS RETURNING FROM A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM OREGON WHEN HE CONTACTED YAKIMA ATC AND RECEIVED A CLEARANCE TO LAND STRAIGHT IN ON RUNWAY 27. REPORTED WINDS WERE 210 AT 6KTS. AS THE MAIN WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN PILOT STATED A GUST OF WIND LIFTED HIS LEFT WING AND HE WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT IN SUFFICIENT TIME, LOSING CONTROL AND GROUND LOOPING THE AIRCRAFT. THE RIGHT WING TIP HIT THE RUNWAY AS THE AIRCRAFT YAWED LEFT AND THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED UNDER THE FUSELAGE. THE PROPELLER LIGHTLY IMPACTED THE RUNWAY AT IDLE. THE PILOT INFORMED ATC, SHUT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT AND EXITED THROUGH THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE DOOR. THERE WAS NO FUEL LEAKS OR POST ACCIDENT FIRE. THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJURIES.