20170808016979I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Schnetzler Estill E JR GLASAIR III · Midland, VA · August 8, 2017

Date: August 8, 2017 · 10:30 local
Place: Midland, VA
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N540DS
Reported as: Schnetzler Estill E JR Glasair III
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,778 total

N540DSRegistration cancelled Oct 31, 2020 · Schnetzler Estill E JR GLASAIR IIIS/N 3127 · Built 1991 Airframe modelSchnetzler Estill E JR GLASAIR III Engine modelLycoming IO-540 seriesReciprocating

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 landed on runway 33. PIC stated that he had three green indicated for the gear down and locked indicator prior to landing. As soon as the nose gear touched down, it started to shimmy and pulled the aircraft to the left. Pilot was braking and applying right rudder to correct with no avail. The nose gear shimmy increased in intensity until the nose gear collapsed causing the propeller to strike the runway. The aircraft slid to the left and came to a stop at the edge of the runway with the nose gear protruding from the left side of the gear well.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT LANDED ON RUNWAY 33. PIC STATED THAT HE HAD THREE GREEN INDICATED FOR THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATOR PRIOR TO LANDING. AS SOON AS THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN, IT STARTED TO SHIMMY AND PULLED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE LEFT. PILOT WAS BRAKING AND APPLYING RIGHT RUDDER TO CORRECT WITH NO AVAIL. THE NOSE GEAR SHIMMY INCREASED IN INTENSITY UNTIL THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING THE PROPELLER TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO THE LEFT AND CAME TO A STOP AT THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY WITH THE NOSE GEAR PROTRUDING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE GEAR WELL.