20120706014119A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Grumman American Avn. AA-5A · Ray, MI · July 6, 2012

Date
July 6, 2012 · 20:55 local
Place
Ray, MI
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N26181
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN12CA419
Reported as
Grumman American Avn. AA-5A
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
212 total1 in this make and model2 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.

Upon touchdown for landing on runway 9 at 57D the aircraft bounced 2 to 3' into the air and the pilot saw 2 deer jump up off the left side of the runway. One deer ran into the path of the aircraft striking the left wing leading edge inboard of the wingtip. Upon impact the aircraft turned to the north away from the runway. The aircraft struck a runway light and was headed for rows of hangars. The pilot turned the aircraft over the remaining portion of runway 36 and got it back on the ground. It was going too fast to stop so the pilot shutdown the engine as the aircraft bounced into a bean field. The nosed wheel struck a drainage ditch in the bean field and dug into the mud causing the nose gear to shear off of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

UPON TOUCHDOWN FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 9 AT 57D THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED 2 TO 3' INTO THE AIR AND THE PILOT SAW 2 DEER JUMP UP OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. ONE DEER RAN INTO THE PATH OF THE AIRCRAFT STRIKING THE LEFT WING LEADING EDGE INBOARD OF THE WINGTIP. UPON IMPACT THE AIRCRAFT TURNED TO THE NORTH AWAY FROM THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A RUNWAY LIGHT AND WAS HEADED FOR ROWS OF HANGARS. THE PILOT TURNED THE AIRCRAFT OVER THE REMAINING PORTION OF RUNWAY 36 AND GOT IT BACK ON THE GROUND. IT WAS GOING TOO FAST TO STOP SO THE PILOT SHUTDOWN THE ENGINE AS THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED INTO A BEAN FIELD. THE NOSED WHEEL STRUCK A DRAINAGE DITCH IN THE BEAN FIELD AND DUG INTO THE MUD CAUSING THE NOSE GEAR TO SHEAR OFF OF THE AIRCRAFT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.