20131017022539I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Silvaire 8F · Mariposa, CA · October 17, 2013

Date
October 17, 2013 · 18:30 local
Place
Mariposa, CA
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N9901C
Reported as
Silvaire 8F
Reported engine
Continental C90 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
2,502 total7 in this make and model116 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.

The pilot had just purchased the aircraft and was transporting the aircraft from Oregon back to pine bluff, Arkansas. The pilot intended on departing in the morning of the first day of the trip but was delayed because of fog. The pilot departed around noon. The pilot made two fuel stops, the last being in placerville, CA. While enroute to a planned landing in bakersfield for the evening the pilot diverted to the Mariposa yosemite airport because it was becoming dark. The pilot was unfamiliar with the Mariposa airport and did not consult the AFM before landing.

Mariposa has a .9% up sloping runway on runway 26. The pilot being unfamiliar with the airport and because the winds were calm, chose to land on runway 08 which has the downslope. The landing approach was normal and uneventful. During the landing rollout the pilot noted the aircraft was not slowing down as quickly as his previous landings. The pilot also noted the end of the runway was quickly approaching so he applied the heel brakes more firmly. While the pilot was applying the heel brakes he also unintentionally applied left rudder causing the aircraft to veer left. The unintentional application of rudder caused the aircraft to ground loop towards the left side of the runway with most of the aircraft weight side loading the right gear. The aircraft turned between 45 and 50 degrees from the aircraft centerline and came to rest on its nose, right wing tip, and right main gear. Most of the fuel from the left tank drained from the tank through the vented fuel cap while the aircraft was tilted forward after the crash.

The pilot was able to pull the mixture to the cutoff position and turn the master switch off before the aircraft tipped forward. Damage was localized to the right wing tip, nose cowling, propeller, right main gear, and the gear box.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS TRANSPORTING THE AIRCRAFT FROM OREGON BACK TO PINE BLUFF, ARKANSAS. THE PILOT INTENDED ON DEPARTING IN THE MORNING OF THE FIRST DAY OF THE TRIP BUT WAS DELAYED BECAUSE OF FOG. THE PILOT DEPARTED AROUND NOON. THE PILOT MADE TWO FUEL STOPS, THE LAST BEING IN PLACERVILLE, CA. WHILE ENROUTE TO A PLANNED LANDING IN BAKERSFIELD FOR THE EVENING THE PILOT DIVERTED TO THE MARIPOSA YOSEMITE AIRPORT BECAUSE IT WAS BECOMING DARK. THE PILOT WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE MARIPOSA AIRPORT AND DID NOT CONSULT THE AFM BEFORE LANDING.

MARIPOSA HAS A .9% UP SLOPING RUNWAY ON RUNWAY 26. THE PILOT BEING UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRPORT AND BECAUSE THE WINDS WERE CALM, CHOSE TO LAND ON RUNWAY 08 WHICH HAS THE DOWNSLOPE. THE LANDING APPROACH WAS NORMAL AND UNEVENTFUL. DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT THE PILOT NOTED THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT SLOWING DOWN AS QUICKLY AS HIS PREVIOUS LANDINGS. THE PILOT ALSO NOTED THE END OF THE RUNWAY WAS QUICKLY APPROACHING SO HE APPLIED THE HEEL BRAKES MORE FIRMLY. WHILE THE PILOT WAS APPLYING THE HEEL BRAKES HE ALSO UNINTENTIONALLY APPLIED LEFT RUDDER CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO VEER LEFT. THE UNINTENTIONAL APPLICATION OF RUDDER CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO GROUND LOOP TOWARDS THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY WITH MOST OF THE AIRCRAFT WEIGHT SIDE LOADING THE RIGHT GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT TURNED BETWEEN 45 AND 50 DEGREES FROM THE AIRCRAFT CENTERLINE AND CAME TO REST ON ITS NOSE, RIGHT WING TIP, AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR. MOST OF THE FUEL FROM THE LEFT TANK DRAINED FROM THE TANK THROUGH THE VENTED FUEL CAP WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS TILTED FORWARD AFTER THE CRASH.

THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO PULL THE MIXTURE TO THE CUTOFF POSITION AND TURN THE MASTER SWITCH OFF BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT TIPPED FORWARD. DAMAGE WAS LOCALIZED TO THE RIGHT WING TIP, NOSE COWLING, PROPELLER, RIGHT MAIN GEAR, AND THE GEAR BOX.