20151019020549I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Smith Aerostar 601P · Mesa, AZ · October 19, 2015

Date: October 19, 2015 · 15:10 local
Place: Mesa, AZ
Airport: Falcon Fld
Phase of flight: Taxi
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N11TT
Reported as: Smith Aerostar 601P
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,500 total125 in this make and model12 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.

Aircraft was taxiing on taxiway echo, then turned onto runway 4L and powered up for takeoff. At approximately 40 knots the pilot noticed an unusual sound and aborted takeoff. Aircraft was taxied back to the tarmac and shut down. Pilot then noticed the blade tips of the left propeller damaged. Pilot thought he might have hit debris on the runway, so he contacted the control tower to request a check of the runway. Falcon field operations checked the runway and found no debris, but discovered that the taxi light lens at the corner of taxiway echo and runway 4L was damaged. The mechanic who maintains this aircraft confirmed that the marks on the left propeller blade tips are consistent with the shape of the taxi light lens.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIING ON TAXIWAY ECHO, THEN TURNED ONTO RUNWAY 4L AND POWERED UP FOR TAKEOFF. AT APPROXIMATELY 40 KNOTS THE PILOT NOTICED AN UNUSUAL SOUND AND ABORTED TAKEOFF. AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED BACK TO THE TARMAC AND SHUT DOWN. PILOT THEN NOTICED THE BLADE TIPS OF THE LEFT PROPELLER DAMAGED. PILOT THOUGHT HE MIGHT HAVE HIT DEBRIS ON THE RUNWAY, SO HE CONTACTED THE CONTROL TOWER TO REQUEST A CHECK OF THE RUNWAY. FALCON FIELD OPERATIONS CHECKED THE RUNWAY AND FOUND NO DEBRIS, BUT DISCOVERED THAT THE TAXI LIGHT LENS AT THE CORNER OF TAXIWAY ECHO AND RUNWAY 4L WAS DAMAGED. THE MECHANIC WHO MAINTAINS THIS AIRCRAFT CONFIRMED THAT THE MARKS ON THE LEFT PROPELLER BLADE TIPS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE SHAPE OF THE TAXI LIGHT LENS.