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20130805014909I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Smooth Landing EVOLUTION · Wickenburg, AZ · August 5, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 5, 2013 · 10:15 local
Place
Wickenburg, AZ
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N512RM
Reported as
Smooth Landing Evolution
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
23,000 total1,250 in this make and model76 in the last 90 days
N512RMRegistered now · Smooth Landing EVOLUTIONS/N 043 · Built 2013Airframe modelSmooth Landing EVOLUTIONEngine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135Turbo-prop

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.

Flight originated at falcon field (kffz), mesa, AZ and was to end after the 40 hours of fly-off time at wickenberg field (E25). The weather was clear with 5 to 10 knot winds from the southeast. Pilot entered the pattern for runway 5 and everything was normal until touchdown.

After touchdown the aircraft began to drift to the left of the centerline. Pilot applied right rudder, then right brake and aileron in an attempt to keep the aircraft from departing the paved surface. The aircraft departed the left side of the runway at around the 1,500? Point. No unusual noises or vibrations were reported by pilot during the drift left. As aircraft slowed, it departed the runway into the soft gravel, until the nose gear collapsed and the prop struck the ground with an idle power setting.

Witness stated he observed the landing and said the left main tire began smoking as soon as aircraft touched down.

Pilot stated that he went back to the cockpit to check the position of the parking brake and found it 1.5 to 2 inches out of the off position, which would have opened the left brake valve. The design of the system allows the parking brake to be set with pedals depressed after valve selector is opened.

As the FAA filed it

FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT FALCON FIELD (KFFZ), MESA, AZ AND WAS TO END AFTER THE 40 HOURS OF FLY-OFF TIME AT WICKENBERG FIELD (E25). THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR WITH 5 TO 10 KNOT WINDS FROM THE SOUTHEAST. PILOT ENTERED THE PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 5 AND EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL UNTIL TOUCHDOWN.

AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO DRIFT TO THE LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE. PILOT APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER, THEN RIGHT BRAKE AND AILERON IN AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE AIRCRAFT FROM DEPARTING THE PAVED SURFACE. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AT AROUND THE 1,500? POINT. NO UNUSUAL NOISES OR VIBRATIONS WERE REPORTED BY PILOT DURING THE DRIFT LEFT. AS AIRCRAFT SLOWED, IT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY INTO THE SOFT GRAVEL, UNTIL THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE PROP STRUCK THE GROUND WITH AN IDLE POWER SETTING.

WITNESS STATED HE OBSERVED THE LANDING AND SAID THE LEFT MAIN TIRE BEGAN SMOKING AS SOON AS AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN.

PILOT STATED THAT HE WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT TO CHECK THE POSITION OF THE PARKING BRAKE AND FOUND IT 1.5 TO 2 INCHES OUT OF THE OFF POSITION, WHICH WOULD HAVE OPENED THE LEFT BRAKE VALVE. THE DESIGN OF THE SYSTEM ALLOWS THE PARKING BRAKE TO BE SET WITH PEDALS DEPRESSED AFTER VALVE SELECTOR IS OPENED.