20140927019769I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-22-160 · Basin Harbor, VT · September 27, 2014

Date
September 27, 2014 · 11:00 local
Place
Basin Harbor, VT
Airport
Basin Harbor
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8907D
Reported as
Piper PA-22-160
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
535 total509 in this make and model11 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.

On 09/27/2014, Piper PA-22-160, N8907D, had departed middlebury, VT. (6BO) and was approaching Basin Harbor, VT. (B06) for landing. The pilot (privacy data omitted) and his passenger (wife), suddenly heard a "pop" and immediately felt air streaming into the cockpit. The aircraft was buffeting and started to lose altitude. The pilot immediately made a successful emergency landing in a feild near Basin Harbor. The pilot's subsequent inspection revealed, the leading edge of the fuselage fabric covering had torn and separated from the structure over the cockpit window causing a scoop effect which allowed air to stream into the cockpit. This created significant aerodynamic drag and disrupted airflow over of the fuselage. The aircraft sustained no further damage during the forced landing. There were no injuries.

As the FAA filed it

ON 09/27/2014, PIPER PA-22-160, N8907D, HAD DEPARTED MIDDLEBURY, VT. (6BO) AND WAS APPROACHING BASIN HARBOR, VT. (B06) FOR LANDING. THE PILOT (^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^) AND HIS PASSENGER (WIFE), SUDDENLY HEARD A "POP" AND IMMEDIATELY FELT AIR STREAMING INTO THE COCKPIT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BUFFETING AND STARTED TO LOSE ALTITUDE. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY MADE A SUCCESSFUL EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FEILD NEAR BASIN HARBOR. THE PILOT'S SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION REVEALED, THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FUSELAGE FABRIC COVERING HAD TORN AND SEPARATED FROM THE STRUCTURE OVER THE COCKPIT WINDOW CAUSING A SCOOP EFFECT WHICH ALLOWED AIR TO STREAM INTO THE COCKPIT. THIS CREATED SIGNIFICANT AERODYNAMIC DRAG AND DISRUPTED AIRFLOW OVER OF THE FUSELAGE. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED NO FURTHER DAMAGE DURING THE FORCED LANDING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES.