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20120311004839I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Backovich George C G P-5 · Hollister, CA · March 11, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 11, 2012 · 10:55 local
Place
Hollister, CA
Airport
Hollister Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N153GB
Reported as
Backovich George C G P-5
Reported engine
Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
8,000 total40 in this make and model7 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.

The pilot stated at around 1000 hours Sunday morning, March 11, 2012, he was conducting a test flight of his aircraft at the Hollister airport. He was in radio communication with his crew chief who was on the ground. The flight was conducted within a 5 mile radius of the Hollister airport. Upon completion of the test the pilot lowered the landing gear and did not receive a light on the right main landing gear to indicate it was in the down and locked position. A visual inspection from his crew chief confirmed the gear was extended but not locked in the vertical(down & locked) position. The pilot made a number of attempts to lock the right main landing gear by yawing and porpoising the aircraft. He was unsuccessful. A decision was made to land on the FAR left side of runway 31 with the left main landing gear extended and locked down and the right main landing gear in its unlocked position. The Hollister fire department was called while the pilot continued to orbit until they were on scene. Once the fire department was in position he landed the aircraft as planned and held the right wing off the ground as long as possible. The pilot shut off the fuel to the engine shortly before touchdown. As the aircraft slowed, it became impossible to hold the right wing up. The right wing contacted the ground at the tip inducing a yawing motion to the airplane and causing it to veer off the runway into the infield. Upon crossing into the soft grass of the infield the left landing gear sheared off the airplane. The aircraft came to a stop in the infield and the pilot was able to make a normal egress. There were no injuries relating to this incident.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT STATED AT AROUND 1000 HOURS SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 11, 2012, HE WAS CONDUCTING A TEST FLIGHT OF HIS AIRCRAFT AT THE HOLLISTER AIRPORT. HE WAS IN RADIO COMMUNICATION WITH HIS CREW CHIEF WHO WAS ON THE GROUND. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED WITHIN A 5 MILE RADIUS OF THE HOLLISTER AIRPORT. UPON COMPLETION OF THE TEST THE PILOT LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR AND DID NOT RECEIVE A LIGHT ON THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TO INDICATE IT WAS IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. A VISUAL INSPECTION FROM HIS CREW CHIEF CONFIRMED THE GEAR WAS EXTENDED BUT NOT LOCKED IN THE VERTICAL(DOWN & LOCKED) POSITION. THE PILOT MADE A NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS TO LOCK THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR BY YAWING AND PORPOISING THE AIRCRAFT. HE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. A DECISION WAS MADE TO LAND ON THE FAR LEFT SIDE OF RUNWAY 31 WITH THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR EXTENDED AND LOCKED DOWN AND THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR IN ITS UNLOCKED POSITION. THE HOLLISTER FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED WHILE THE PILOT CONTINUED TO ORBIT UNTIL THEY WERE ON SCENE. ONCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS IN POSITION HE LANDED THE AIRCRAFT AS PLANNED AND HELD THE RIGHT WING OFF THE GROUND AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. THE PILOT SHUT OFF THE FUEL TO THE ENGINE SHORTLY BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. AS THE AIRCRAFT SLOWED, IT BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD THE RIGHT WING UP. THE RIGHT WING CONTACTED THE GROUND AT THE TIP INDUCING A YAWING MOTION TO THE AIRPLANE AND CAUSING IT TO VEER OFF THE RUNWAY INTO THE INFIELD. UPON CROSSING INTO THE SOFT GRASS OF THE INFIELD THE LEFT LANDING GEAR SHEARED OFF THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP IN THE INFIELD AND THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO MAKE A NORMAL EGRESS.THERE WERE NO INJURIES RELATING TO THIS INCIDENT.