20150301004849I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 441 · Pottstown, PA · March 1, 2015

Date: March 1, 2015 · 17:15 local
Place: Pottstown, PA
Airport: Heritage Field
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N716SM
Reported as: Cessna 441
Reported engine: AiResearch TPE331 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 15,500 total4,000 in this make and model95 in the last 90 days

N716SMRegistered now · Cessna 441S/N 441-0004 · Built 1977 Airframe modelCessna 441 Engine modelAiResearch TPE331 seriesTurbo-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.

During approach pilot called runway in sight. Copilot had no visual due to windshield icing. Pilot mistakenly identified the darker area between the unplowed runway and unplowed taxiway as the runway. Pilot continued approach and at time of landing realized he was between the runway and taxiway. Pilot landed aircraft and rolled out with engines in full reverse causing minor side-slipping/skidding, coming to a stop at the mid-field crossing taxiway. Left engine flamed out due to contact with ice/snow and snow ingestion causing propeller blade tracking irregularity. Right engine struck a taxiway light resulting in propeller blade leading edge damage. No other aircraft damage was evident.

As the FAA filed it

DURING APPROACH PILOT CALLED RUNWAY IN SIGHT. COPILOT HAD NO VISUAL DUE TO WINDSHIELD ICING. PILOT MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED THE DARKER AREA BETWEEN THE UNPLOWED RUNWAY AND UNPLOWED TAXIWAY AS THE RUNWAY. PILOT CONTINUED APPROACH AND AT TIME OF LANDING REALIZED HE WAS BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY. PILOT LANDED AIRCRAFT AND ROLLED OUT WITH ENGINES IN FULL REVERSE CAUSING MINOR SIDE-SLIPPING/SKIDDING, COMING TO A STOP AT THE MID-FIELD CROSSING TAXIWAY. LEFT ENGINE FLAMED OUT DUE TO CONTACT WITH ICE/SNOW AND SNOW INGESTION CAUSING PROPELLER BLADE TRACKING IRREGULARITY. RIGHT ENGINE STRUCK A TAXIWAY LIGHT RESULTING IN PROPELLER BLADE LEADING EDGE DAMAGE. NO OTHER AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT.