What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
4/15/16
Conducted investigation at Willard Airport, Ohio involving aircraft N98527. I met with privacy data omitted pilot of aircraft, privacy data omitted and interviewed him describing the events which led to the incident. The aircraft departed lagrange airport between 4:45 and 5:00 pm and arrived at Willard Airport sometime around 5:30 pm. He stated after entering left pattern at Willard Airport for runway 28 he turned base and then turned final on pattern shooting for the threshold. The weather was reported from lorain county airport at 10 knot wind and the wind indicator at Willard indicated that the wind was coming from the north. Entering final approach he corrected for the wind with right aileron and compensated using left rudder to correct for line of flight. As he began his flair to land, he was focusing on the wind correction and didn?t judge the flair perfectly and bounced slightly on first contact. He then proceeded to level out flight and descend to touchdown down again.
While correcting for the initial bounce and easing the aircraft back to the runway he relaxed the aileron and or rudder allowing for some drift to the left. When he touched down again the wheels started to skid and the aircraft started to ground loop to the right. The tail started to swing around to the left turning the aircraft to the right. The skid finally stopped as he started to leave the runway on the right at approximately a 65 degree angle from the edge of the runway.
At that time he saw a ditch directly ahead and reached for the magneto switch to shut the engine down. The aircraft traveled down into the ditch and came to a stop when the underside of the front of the aircraft impacted the opposite side of the ditch.
None of the wing or structure of the aircraft impacted the ground other than the lower portion of the front cowling. The propeller was pointing straight up and the bottom of it was broken off under the engine at the bottom of the ditch. A wrecker was called and they were able to pull the aircraft from the ditch and tow it to the tarmac area.
When I arrived to perform my investigation, the aircraft was in a hangar and the propeller and lower engine cowling had already been removed. My inspection of the aircraft and the engine firewall revealed no structural or substantial damage to aircraft. He said that he has an IA that was going to perform a runout check on the engine and asked me for my opinion. I told him I will look into it and get him information regarding prop strikes.
4/25/16
I contacted privacy data omitted and refered him to service bulletin SB96-11B from teledyne Continental engines which defines propeller strikes and required action. According to this sb the engine must be disassembled and inspected prior to further flight. He said he will be searching for a replacement engine and he will remain in touch.
As the FAA filed it
4/15/16
CONDUCTED INVESTIGATION AT WILLARD AIRPORT, OHIO INVOLVING AIRCRAFT N98527. I MET WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PILOT OF AIRCRAFT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND INTERVIEWED HIM DESCRIBING THE EVENTS WHICH LED TO THE INCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED LAGRANGE AIRPORT BETWEEN 4:45 AND 5:00 PM AND ARRIVED AT WILLARD AIRPORT SOMETIME AROUND 5:30 PM. HE STATED AFTER ENTERING LEFT PATTERN AT WILLARD AIRPORT FOR RUNWAY 28 HE TURNED BASE AND THEN TURNED FINAL ON PATTERN SHOOTING FOR THE THRESHOLD. THE WEATHER WAS REPORTED FROM LORAIN COUNTY AIRPORT AT 10 KNOT WIND AND THE WIND INDICATOR AT WILLARD INDICATED THAT THE WIND WAS COMING FROM THE NORTH. ENTERING FINAL APPROACH HE CORRECTED FOR THE WIND WITH RIGHT AILERON AND COMPENSATED USING LEFT RUDDER TO CORRECT FOR LINE OF FLIGHT. AS HE BEGAN HIS FLAIR TO LAND, HE WAS FOCUSING ON THE WIND CORRECTION AND DIDN?T JUDGE THE FLAIR PERFECTLY AND BOUNCED SLIGHTLY ON FIRST CONTACT. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO LEVEL OUT FLIGHT AND DESCEND TO TOUCHDOWN DOWN AGAIN.
WHILE CORRECTING FOR THE INITIAL BOUNCE AND EASING THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO THE RUNWAY HE RELAXED THE AILERON AND OR RUDDER ALLOWING FOR SOME DRIFT TO THE LEFT. WHEN HE TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN THE WHEELS STARTED TO SKID AND THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO GROUND LOOP TO THE RIGHT. THE TAIL STARTED TO SWING AROUND TO THE LEFT TURNING THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT. THE SKID FINALLY STOPPED AS HE STARTED TO LEAVE THE RUNWAY ON THE RIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY A 65 DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY.
AT THAT TIME HE SAW A DITCH DIRECTLY AHEAD AND REACHED FOR THE MAGNETO SWITCH TO SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT TRAVELED DOWN INTO THE DITCH AND CAME TO A STOP WHEN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE DITCH.
NONE OF THE WING OR STRUCTURE OF THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND OTHER THAN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE FRONT COWLING. THE PROPELLER WAS POINTING STRAIGHT UP AND THE BOTTOM OF IT WAS BROKEN OFF UNDER THE ENGINE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DITCH. A WRECKER WAS CALLED AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PULL THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE DITCH AND TOW IT TO THE TARMAC AREA.
WHEN I ARRIVED TO PERFORM MY INVESTIGATION, THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A HANGAR AND THE PROPELLER AND LOWER ENGINE COWLING HAD ALREADY BEEN REMOVED. MY INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE ENGINE FIREWALL REVEALED NO STRUCTURAL OR SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT. HE SAID THAT HE HAS AN IA THAT WAS GOING TO PERFORM A RUNOUT CHECK ON THE ENGINE AND ASKED ME FOR MY OPINION. I TOLD HIM I WILL LOOK INTO IT AND GET HIM INFORMATION REGARDING PROP STRIKES.
4/25/16
I CONTACTED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND REFERED HIM TO SERVICE BULLETIN SB96-11B FROM TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL ENGINES WHICH DEFINES PROPELLER STRIKES AND REQUIRED ACTION. ACCORDING TO THIS SB THE ENGINE MUST BE DISASSEMBLED AND INSPECTED PRIOR TO FURTHER FLIGHT. HE SAID HE WILL BE SEARCHING FOR A REPLACEMENT ENGINE AND HE WILL REMAIN IN TOUCH.
Other reports on N98527 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.