20170731016809I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Diamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1 · Tulsa, OK · July 31, 2017

Date
July 31, 2017 · 12:20 local
Place
Tulsa, OK
Airport
Tulsa International.
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N426PC
Reported as
Diamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1
Reported engine
Continental IO-240-B
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
122 total64 in this make and model16 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.

Tulsa tower cleared the pilot/aircraft to land on 18R. Aircraft bounced on initial touchdown then bounced 2 or 3 more times, bending the nose gear and contacting the tips of both propeller blades. No pilot injury or other damage issues were noted with the aircraft.

The pilot stated that the plane felt different in ground effect and descent. She believes this was probably because the plane was so light. According to her calculations she had about a quarter of a tank of fuel remaining. She had never flown and landed the Diamond with so little fuel. She suspects this difference contributed to the different ground effect and descent.

As the FAA filed it

TULSA TOWER CLEARED THE PILOT/AIRCRAFT TO LAND ON 18R. AIRCRAFT BOUNCED ON INITIAL TOUCHDOWN THEN BOUNCED 2 OR 3 MORE TIMES, BENDING THE NOSE GEAR AND CONTACTING THE TIPS OF BOTH PROPELLER BLADES. NO PILOT INJURY OR OTHER DAMAGE ISSUES WERE NOTED WITH THE AIRCRAFT.

THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PLANE FELT DIFFERENT IN GROUND EFFECT AND DESCENT. SHE BELIEVES THIS WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE THE PLANE WAS SO LIGHT. ACCORDING TO HER CALCULATIONS SHE HAD ABOUT A QUARTER OF A TANK OF FUEL REMAINING. SHE HAD NEVER FLOWN AND LANDED THE DIAMOND WITH SO LITTLE FUEL. SHE SUSPECTS THIS DIFFERENCE CONTRIBUTED TO THE DIFFERENT GROUND EFFECT AND DESCENT.