20121120025149I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Butner Vl/Butner MD ZENITH CH701 · Beloit, WI · November 20, 2012

Date
November 20, 2012 · 14:30 local
Place
Beloit, WI
Airport
Beloit Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N91495
Reported as
Butner Vl/Butner MD Zenith CH701
Reported engine
Bombardier ROTAX (ALL)
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Sport pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
303 total5 in this make and model20 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.

While attempting to conduct a full stop landing on runway 25 at the Beloit Airport, the mishap pilot was correcting for an overshooting crosswind. Winds were reported as 320 at 7KTS. He had already gone around twice, and was on his third attempt. After intercepting the extended centerline he established a crosswind correction, and in close to his touchdown point he recognized a high sink rate. He corrected with power, but used too much throttle along with too much right rudder to compensate for torque. He landed firm on the main landing gear and immediately and aggressively applied the brakes. Being as the longitudinal axis of the aircraft was not aligned with its direction of travel at touchdown and initial roll out, a lateral load was introduced to the landing gear. The nose gear failed resulting in damage to the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CONDUCT A FULL STOP LANDING ON RUNWAY 25 AT THE BELOIT AIRPORT, THE MISHAP PILOT WAS CORRECTING FOR AN OVERSHOOTING CROSSWIND. WINDS WERE REPORTED AS 320 AT 7KTS. HE HAD ALREADY GONE AROUND TWICE, AND WAS ON HIS THIRD ATTEMPT. AFTER INTERCEPTING THE EXTENDED CENTERLINE HE ESTABLISHED A CROSSWIND CORRECTION, AND IN CLOSE TO HIS TOUCHDOWN POINT HE RECOGNIZED A HIGH SINK RATE. HE CORRECTED WITH POWER, BUT USED TOO MUCH THROTTLE ALONG WITH TOO MUCH RIGHT RUDDER TO COMPENSATE FOR TORQUE. HE LANDED FIRM ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR AND IMMEDIATELY AND AGGRESSIVELY APPLIED THE BRAKES. BEING AS THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT ALIGNED WITH ITS DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AT TOUCHDOWN AND INITIAL ROLL OUT, A LATERAL LOAD WAS INTRODUCED TO THE LANDING GEAR. THE NOSE GEAR FAILED RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.