20110828018959I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Brandt Jerry PULSAR XP · Wampum, PA · August 28, 2011

Date
August 28, 2011 · 20:00 local
Place
Wampum, PA
Airport
Unregistered Airport
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N773JB
Reported as
Brandt Jerry Pulsar XP
Reported engine
ROTAX 912UL
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
64 total1 in this make and model6 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.

This event occurred on an Unregistered private grass strip on a runway with a heading of 185 degrees. The pilot had no intent to fly the aircraft; however, during high speed taxing the aircraft became airborne. Subsequently, the aircraft impacted the ground approximately 100 from the end of the runway in a soybean field. The impact sheared off the aircraft's nose landing gear along with the left main landing gear wheel. There was impact damage under the fuselage just aft of the nose landing gear. The right wing leading edge near the tip had impact damage and had dirt and soybean plant embedded in this area of the wing. The right wing upper and lower skin showed signs of deformation. The skin around the fuel cap on the right wing was cracked. The underside of the right wing had damage adjacent to the landing gear. The left wing underside had damage adjacent to the landing gear. The left wing underside skin had damage along the trailing edge starting from the middle flap hinge in toward the inboard flap hinge. Just aft of the firewall the fuselage had a crack running around the majority of the fuselage parallel to the firewall. The right side of the firewall had cracks running parallel to the ground. The fuselage under the engine was cracked in various locations as observed inside the engine compartment. There was no apparent damage on the fuselage aft of the trailing edge of the wings. There was no damage to the vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, or any other parts of the tail of the aircraft. The fuselage at the left and right wing attachment point showed fractures in the skin. Most of the wooden propeller was missing and the remainder was splintered down to the hub. What remained of the propeller was embedded with dirt and soybean plant. There was no impact damage to the engine. The engine mounting points on the fuselage were deformed and cracked.

As the FAA filed it

THIS EVENT OCCURRED ON AN UNREGISTERED PRIVATE GRASS STRIP ON A RUNWAY WITH A HEADING OF 185 DEGREES. THE PILOT HAD NO INTENT TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT; HOWEVER, DURING HIGH SPEED TAXING THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 100 FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY IN A SOYBEAN FIELD. THE IMPACT SHEARED OFF THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE LANDING GEAR ALONG WITH THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEEL. THERE WAS IMPACT DAMAGE UNDER THE FUSELAGE JUST AFT OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR. THE RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE NEAR THE TIP HAD IMPACT DAMAGE AND HAD DIRT AND SOYBEAN PLANT EMBEDDED IN THIS AREA OF THE WING. THE RIGHT WING UPPER AND LOWER SKIN SHOWED SIGNS OF DEFORMATION. THE SKIN AROUND THE FUEL CAP ON THE RIGHT WING WAS CRACKED. THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RIGHT WING HAD DAMAGE ADJACENT TO THE LANDING GEAR.THE LEFT WING UNDERSIDE HAD DAMAGE ADJACENT TO THE LANDING GEAR. THE LEFT WING UNDERSIDE SKIN HAD DAMAGE ALONG THE TRAILING EDGE STARTING FROM THE MIDDLE FLAP HINGE IN TOWARD THE INBOARD FLAP HINGE.JUST AFT OF THE FIREWALL THE FUSELAGE HAD A CRACK RUNNING AROUND THE MAJORITY OF THE FUSELAGE PARALLEL TO THE FIREWALL. THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FIREWALL HAD CRACKS RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE GROUND. THE FUSELAGE UNDER THE ENGINE WAS CRACKED IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS AS OBSERVED INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE ON THE FUSELAGE AFT OF THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE WINGS. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, OR ANY OTHER PARTS OF THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FUSELAGE AT THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING ATTACHMENT POINT SHOWED FRACTURES IN THE SKIN.MOST OF THE WOODEN PROPELLER WAS MISSING AND THE REMAINDER WAS SPLINTERED DOWN TO THE HUB. WHAT REMAINED OF THE PROPELLER WAS EMBEDDED WITH DIRT AND SOYBEAN PLANT. THERE WAS NO IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE MOUNTING POINTS ON THE FUSELAGE WERE DEFORMED AND CRACKED.