20181205023209I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Huntington Dennis GLASAIR III · Hoquiam, WA · December 5, 2018

Date: December 5, 2018 · 12:00 local
Place: Hoquiam, WA
Airport: Bowerman Field
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Rotation
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N148DH
Reported as: Huntington Dennis 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: 600 total350 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days

N148DHRegistered now · Huntington Dennis GLASAIR IIIS/N 3082 · Built 1994 Airframe modelHuntington Dennis 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.

This narrative is based on my interviews with the pilot, passenger and mechanic, and my review of the pictures of the aircraft after the incident. The Glasair III, with the pilot and one passenger on board were taking off from runway 06 at Hoquiam (hqm) for a flight to chehalis-centralia airport (cls). As the aircraft accelerated down the runway it lifted off, the landing gear retracted and the aircraft settled back onto the runway; it skidded off the runway, coming to rest just off the runway. No one in the aircraft or on the ground was injured. Once the aircraft was recovered the landing gear extended and locked down normally using the on-board electo-hydraulic pump. Based on the evidence gathered it appears that the landing gear switch was selected ?up? Before the aircraft was ready to fly out of ground effect and once the weight of the aircraft came off the landing gear squat switch the gear retracted and the aircraft settled back onto the runway on its belly.

As the FAA filed it

THIS NARRATIVE IS BASED ON MY INTERVIEWS WITH THE PILOT, PASSENGER AND MECHANIC, AND MY REVIEW OF THE PICTURES OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE INCIDENT. THE GLASAIR III, WITH THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD WERE TAKING OFF FROM RUNWAY 06 AT HOQUIAM (HQM) FOR A FLIGHT TO CHEHALIS-CENTRALIA AIRPORT (CLS). AS THE AIRCRAFT ACCELERATED DOWN THE RUNWAY IT LIFTED OFF, THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED AND THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY; IT SKIDDED OFF THE RUNWAY, COMING TO REST JUST OFF THE RUNWAY. NO ONE IN THE AIRCRAFT OR ON THE GROUND WAS INJURED. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED AND LOCKED DOWN NORMALLY USING THE ON-BOARD ELECTO-HYDRAULIC PUMP. BASED ON THE EVIDENCE GATHERED IT APPEARS THAT THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH WAS SELECTED ?UP? BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT WAS READY TO FLY OUT OF GROUND EFFECT AND ONCE THE WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT CAME OFF THE LANDING GEAR SQUAT SWITCH THE GEAR RETRACTED AND THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY ON ITS BELLY.