20180825015299I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bellanca 14-13-2 · Hillesville, VA · August 25, 2018

Date: August 25, 2018 · 12:00 local
Place: Hillesville, VA
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N74432
Reported as: Bellanca 14-13-2
Reported engine: Franklin 6A4-165-B3
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 1
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,633 total1,040 in this make and model49 in the last 90 days

N74432Registration cancelled Nov 9, 2018 · Bellanca 14-13-2S/N 1545 · Built 1947 Airframe modelBellanca 14-13-2 Engine modelFranklin 6A4150 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.

Pilot stated that he was on final to land at twin counties airport in Hillesville VA. While still a few miles out he felt a shutter similar to driving a car over a rumble strip, he then looked at his tachometer and it went to zero. At this point he felt he could not make it to the runway so he spotted a cornfield on top of a ridge to put the aircraft down. He made the decision not to put his landing gear down for fear of flipping the aircraft after touch down. After clearing some power lines he did a couple of "s" maneuvers to drop altitude with out running out of field. Before landing he lowered flaps, turned off fuel and other equipment. He also had the passenger open the door. The aircraft came to rest approximately 25 to 30 yards from where it first went into the corn. After coming to a stop himself and the passenger exited the aircraft as quickly as possible.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS ON FINAL TO LAND AT TWIN COUNTIES AIRPORT IN HILLESVILLE VA. WHILE STILL A FEW MILES OUT HE FELT A SHUTTER SIMILAR TO DRIVING A CAR OVER A RUMBLE STRIP, HE THEN LOOKED AT HIS TACHOMETER AND IT WENT TO ZERO. AT THIS POINT HE FELT HE COULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE RUNWAY SO HE SPOTTED A CORNFIELD ON TOP OF A RIDGE TO PUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN. HE MADE THE DECISION NOT TO PUT HIS LANDING GEAR DOWN FOR FEAR OF FLIPPING THE AIRCRAFT AFTER TOUCH DOWN. AFTER CLEARING SOME POWER LINES HE DID A COUPLE OF "S" MANEUVERS TO DROP ALTITUDE WITH OUT RUNNING OUT OF FIELD. BEFORE LANDING HE LOWERED FLAPS, TURNED OFF FUEL AND OTHER EQUIPMENT. HE ALSO HAD THE PASSENGER OPEN THE DOOR. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMATELY 25 TO 30 YARDS FROM WHERE IT FIRST WENT INTO THE CORN. AFTER COMING TO A STOP HIMSELF AND THE PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.