20120329006969I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Ensing Dale W RV-6A · Lawrenceville, GA · March 29, 2012

Date: March 29, 2012 · 14:58 local
Place: Lawrenceville, GA
Airport: Gwinnett County Airport
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N118DE
Reported as: Ensing Dale W RV-6A
Reported engine: Lycoming O-360 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 738 total348 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days

N118DERegistered now · Ensing Dale W RV-6AS/N 60061 · Built 2004 Airframe modelEnsing Dale W RV-6A Engine modelLycoming O-360 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.

During landing in a crosswind on runway 25 at klzu, the airplane bounced upon initial contact with the runway. On second contact with the runway, the nose wheel gear strut, which is a tapered rod, flexed aft and downward allowing the nose landing gear strut and wheel fork in front of the tire, to make contact with the runway surface. The load placed on the gear strut from the inertia of the airplane and impact with the runway, caused the lower portion of the tapered rod gear strut to bend backward. The airplane proceeded down the runway in a semi controlled manner on the main gear wheels with the nose gear strut and wheel fork sliding on the runway surface. The airplane stopped in the grass just off of the runway hard surface. The left wing tip had minor indications of contact with the the grass. Both propellor tips showed minor contact with the ground. Based on operational factors pertaining to incident, recommend counseling pilot on crosswind landings.

As the FAA filed it

DURING LANDING IN A CROSSWIND ON RUNWAY 25 AT KLZU, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED UPON INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY. ON SECOND CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY, THE NOSE WHEEL GEAR STRUT, WHICH IS A TAPERED ROD, FLEXED AFT AND DOWNWARD ALLOWING THE NOSE LANDING GEAR STRUT AND WHEEL FORK IN FRONT OF THE TIRE, TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE LOAD PLACED ON THE GEAR STRUT FROM THE INERTIA OF THE AIRPLANE AND IMPACT WITH THE RUNWAY, CAUSED THE LOWER PORTION OF THE TAPERED ROD GEAR STRUT TO BEND BACKWARD. THE AIRPLANE PROCEEDED DOWN THE RUNWAY IN A SEMI CONTROLLED MANNER ON THE MAIN GEAR WHEELS WITH THE NOSE GEAR STRUT AND WHEEL FORK SLIDING ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE AIRPLANE STOPPED IN THE GRASS JUST OFF OF THE RUNWAY HARD SURFACE. THE LEFT WING TIP HAD MINOR INDICATIONS OF CONTACT WITH THE THE GRASS. BOTH PROPELLOR TIPS SHOWED MINOR CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. BASED ON OPERATIONAL FACTORS PERTAINING TO INCIDENT, RECOMMEND COUNSELING PILOT ON CROSSWIND LANDINGS.