20141016019419I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mcdonnell Douglas A4N · Mesa, AZ · October 16, 2014

Date
October 16, 2014 · 15:20 local
Place
Mesa, AZ
Airport
Williams Gateway
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
VO0M
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N267WL
Reported as
Mcdonnell Douglas A4N
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney J52-P-408
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
14,700 total19 in this make and model50 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.

Upon landing on runway 30R and subsequent roll out, pilot initiated a normal brake application below 100 knots. Aircraft was slowed to approximately 31 knots when a sharp left hand dig-in was felt by pilot, with an aggressive turn to the left. Brakes were released and a subsequent aggressive left hand dig-in occurred at approximately 17 knots, with an associated aircraft turning to the left. Pilot steered aircraft between two taxi lights and continued onto the left hand gravel runway shoulder below 10 knots and came to a stop. Initial damage assessment was some scraping of the underside of left ejection fuel tank. Company maintenance later discovered the nose wheel steering (NWS) actuator leaking fluid and the steering input 1 to 1 1/2 degrees off center. The NWS actuator was replaced, the system calibrated, and a functional test was satisfactorily performed. It is unknown if the NWS actuator leak and off center input signal are a result of the incident or the cause of the incident. An inspection and functional test of the brake system was performed with no discrepancies found.

As the FAA filed it

UPON LANDING ON RUNWAY 30R AND SUBSEQUENT ROLL OUT, PILOT INITIATED A NORMAL BRAKE APPLICATION BELOW 100 KNOTS. AIRCRAFT WAS SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 31 KNOTS WHEN A SHARP LEFT HAND DIG-IN WAS FELT BY PILOT, WITH AN AGGRESSIVE TURN TO THE LEFT. BRAKES WERE RELEASED AND A SUBSEQUENT AGGRESSIVE LEFT HAND DIG-IN OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 17 KNOTS, WITH AN ASSOCIATED AIRCRAFT TURNING TO THE LEFT. PILOT STEERED AIRCRAFT BETWEEN TWO TAXI LIGHTS AND CONTINUED ONTO THE LEFT HAND GRAVEL RUNWAY SHOULDER BELOW 10 KNOTS AND CAME TO A STOP. INITIAL DAMAGE ASSESSMENT WAS SOME SCRAPING OF THE UNDERSIDE OF LEFT EJECTION FUEL TANK. COMPANY MAINTENANCE LATER DISCOVERED THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING (NWS) ACTUATOR LEAKING FLUID AND THE STEERING INPUT 1 TO 1 1/2 DEGREES OFF CENTER. THE NWS ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED, THE SYSTEM CALIBRATED, AND A FUNCTIONAL TEST WAS SATISFACTORILY PERFORMED. IT IS UNKNOWN IF THE NWS ACTUATOR LEAK AND OFF CENTER INPUT SIGNAL ARE A RESULT OF THE INCIDENT OR THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT. AN INSPECTION AND FUNCTIONAL TEST OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS PERFORMED WITH NO DISCREPANCIES FOUND.