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20180526005979I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Mark W Goss THORP T-18 · Arlington, WA · May 26, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 26, 2018 · 12:00 local
Place
Arlington, WA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N118MG
Reported as
Mark W Goss Thorp T-18
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
750 total170 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days
N118MGRegistered now · Mark W Goss THORP T-18S/N 1001Airframe modelMark W Goss THORP T-18

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.

The following is based on witnesses statements from the aircraft pilot and both helicopter pilots. An experimental amateur-built aircraft (model thorp T-18) lined up to runway 11 at Arlington municipal airport (kawo), Arlington, WA on a two (2) mile final. Somewhere between mile to one (1) mile from the runway threshold the pilot noticed a helicopter hovering just north of the runway.

The helicopter was hovering off the runway approximately 500 feet from the approach end of runway 11, approximately 100-150 feet from the north edge of the runway and APPROXIMATELY10 to 15 feet above the ground.

As the aircraft prepared to land the pilot stated that he encountered turbulence; the aircraft then experienced a rapid descent and an uncommanded steep left bank. The pilot regained control of the aircraft, executed a go-around, returned and landed the aircraft without further incident.

The aircraft's left wing tip and left aileron experienced minor damage; the aircrafts pilot received no injuries, there were no other injuries to either the helicopter pilots or anyone on the ground.

As the FAA filed it

THE FOLLOWING IS BASED ON WITNESSES STATEMENTS FROM THE AIRCRAFT PILOT AND BOTH HELICOPTER PILOTS. AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR-BUILT AIRCRAFT (MODEL THORP T-18) LINED UP TO RUNWAY 11 AT ARLINGTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KAWO), ARLINGTON, WA ON A TWO (2) MILE FINAL. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN MILE TO ONE (1) MILE FROM THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD THE PILOT NOTICED A HELICOPTER HOVERING JUST NORTH OF THE RUNWAY.

THE HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING OFF THE RUNWAY APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 11, APPROXIMATELY 100-150 FEET FROM THE NORTH EDGE OF THE RUNWAY AND APPROXIMATELY10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND.

AS THE AIRCRAFT PREPARED TO LAND THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE; THE AIRCRAFT THEN EXPERIENCED A RAPID DESCENT AND AN UNCOMMANDED STEEP LEFT BANK. THE PILOT REGAINED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, EXECUTED A GO-AROUND, RETURNED AND LANDED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING TIP AND LEFT AILERON EXPERIENCED MINOR DAMAGE; THE AIRCRAFTS PILOT RECEIVED NO INJURIES, THERE WERE NO OTHER INJURIES TO EITHER THE HELICOPTER PILOTS OR ANYONE ON THE GROUND.