What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On April 29, 2013 the aircraft operated by privacy data omitted was making a flight from san jose (ksjc) to Columbia airport (KO22) to have the front seats changed and to have the cabin heater control cable lubricated. During the last annual inspection the front seats were put on the wrong side of the aircraft causing the the seat controls to be located in awkward positions. The seats were functioning normally but the pilot preferred that they be switched. The aircraft has been maintained by mountain aire aviation, inc. since the mid 70?s and had received its last annual inspection on March 21, 2013. The pilot stated that the aircraft was functioning properly and the maintenance tasks that the aircraft was being returned for did not contribute to the incident.
The weather on this day was clear with more than ten miles visibility and the wind varying from 220 to 250 degrees at approximately 5 knots at the time of landing. The pilot recorded the wind as 240 degrees at 5 knots. The pilot stated the flight was smooth and the air was clear and calm until he was over the foothills west of the airport. The pilot indicated that it was a ?bouncy? Ride until landing. While standing outside of the aircraft after the incident the pilot could feel the wind shifting in various directions and speeds.
The pilot approached the airport to land by making the right traffic pattern listed for runway 17 at O22. privacy data omitted Identified the windsock and noticed that it was varying in speed and direction. The pilot made a full flap normal approach to land at an 80 knot approach speed. While in the landing flare and prior to touchdown the pilot stated the aircraft moved to the right side of the runway where it touched down and ran off the right side of the runway. Tire marks can be seen on the side of the runway and appear to be from side loads rather than hard braking action. The aircraft continued through the grass on the right side of the runway, crossed over the grass runway 29 and sheared off its nose wheel in a drainage ditch between runway 29 and the taxiway. The aircraft slid on its nose onto the taxiway. An interview with the pilot and photographs of the area indicate the pilot maintained control of the aircraft after it departed the right side of the runway until the nose wheel sheared off. It was the pilots intent to continue the roll onto the taxiway west of runway 17/35.
The aircraft damage is isolated to the nose gear, the nose gear attachment points, the skin on the fuselage nose, and the propeller. A mechanic on the field indicated that all repairs could be made without special jigs and that replacing the nose gear attachment points involved removing the old rivets and re-riveting the new trunions in place. The skin damage was similar to damage encountered with a gear up landing and could be repaired.
As the FAA filed it
ON APRIL 29, 2013 THE AIRCRAFT OPERATED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS MAKING A FLIGHT FROM SAN JOSE (KSJC) TO COLUMBIA AIRPORT (KO22) TO HAVE THE FRONT SEATS CHANGED AND TO HAVE THE CABIN HEATER CONTROL CABLE LUBRICATED. DURING THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION THE FRONT SEATS WERE PUT ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT CAUSING THE THE SEAT CONTROLS TO BE LOCATED IN AWKWARD POSITIONS. THE SEATS WERE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY BUT THE PILOT PREFERRED THAT THEY BE SWITCHED. THE AIRCRAFT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY MOUNTAIN AIRE AVIATION, INC. SINCE THE MID 70?S AND HAD RECEIVED ITS LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION ON MARCH 21, 2013. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND THE MAINTENANCE TASKS THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING RETURNED FOR DID NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE INCIDENT.
THE WEATHER ON THIS DAY WAS CLEAR WITH MORE THAN TEN MILES VISIBILITY AND THE WIND VARYING FROM 220 TO 250 DEGREES AT APPROXIMATELY 5 KNOTS AT THE TIME OF LANDING. THE PILOT RECORDED THE WIND AS 240 DEGREES AT 5 KNOTS. THE PILOT STATED THE FLIGHT WAS SMOOTH AND THE AIR WAS CLEAR AND CALM UNTIL HE WAS OVER THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT INDICATED THAT IT WAS A ?BOUNCY? RIDE UNTIL LANDING. WHILE STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE INCIDENT THE PILOT COULD FEEL THE WIND SHIFTING IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS AND SPEEDS.
THE PILOT APPROACHED THE AIRPORT TO LAND BY MAKING THE RIGHT TRAFFIC PATTERN LISTED FOR RUNWAY 17 AT O22. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IDENTIFIED THE WINDSOCK AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS VARYING IN SPEED AND DIRECTION. THE PILOT MADE A FULL FLAP NORMAL APPROACH TO LAND AT AN 80 KNOT APPROACH SPEED. WHILE IN THE LANDING FLARE AND PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT MOVED TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY WHERE IT TOUCHED DOWN AND RAN OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. TIRE MARKS CAN BE SEEN ON THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND APPEAR TO BE FROM SIDE LOADS RATHER THAN HARD BRAKING ACTION. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THROUGH THE GRASS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, CROSSED OVER THE GRASS RUNWAY 29 AND SHEARED OFF ITS NOSE WHEEL IN A DRAINAGE DITCH BETWEEN RUNWAY 29 AND THE TAXIWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SLID ON ITS NOSE ONTO THE TAXIWAY. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PILOT AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE AREA INDICATE THE PILOT MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER IT DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY UNTIL THE NOSE WHEEL SHEARED OFF. IT WAS THE PILOTS INTENT TO CONTINUE THE ROLL ONTO THE TAXIWAY WEST OF RUNWAY 17/35.
THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE IS ISOLATED TO THE NOSE GEAR, THE NOSE GEAR ATTACHMENT POINTS, THE SKIN ON THE FUSELAGE NOSE, AND THE PROPELLER. A MECHANIC ON THE FIELD INDICATED THAT ALL REPAIRS COULD BE MADE WITHOUT SPECIAL JIGS AND THAT REPLACING THE NOSE GEAR ATTACHMENT POINTS INVOLVED REMOVING THE OLD RIVETS AND RE-RIVETING THE NEW TRUNIONS IN PLACE. THE SKIN DAMAGE WAS SIMILAR TO DAMAGE ENCOUNTERED WITH A GEAR UP LANDING AND COULD BE REPAIRED.