20190204016499I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-42 · Tupelo, MS · February 4, 2019

Date
February 4, 2019 · 12:06 local
Place
Tupelo, MS
Airport
Tupelo Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N821DK
Reported as
Piper PA-42
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A
People aboard
6
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
7,800 total2,600 in this make and model58 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.

The incident aircraft was making a planned fuel stop at Tupelo Regional Airport (tup). During the approach, the pilot in command(PIC) requested to perform the ILS - 36 approach into tup. During an interview, the PIC stated that the weather at tup was 800 overcast with winds 210 at 10 knots. The aircraft was given a descent to 4000 feet. The PIC stated that as the aircraft approached the outer marker on the ILS that lower was requested, 3000 feet was the published altitude. Approach controllers cleared the aircraft for descent to 3000 feet, and based on the distance from the outer marker, the PIC initiated an aggressive descent manuever. The PIC stated that once the descent manuever was initiated, the autopilot pitched "hard over" in order to capture the ILS glideslope at the outer marker. The use of autopilot was then discontinued. The PIC elected to continued the approach although the aircraft was above glideslope and not stabilized at the outer marker. The extra altitude and lack of being stabilized on the approach caused the aircraft to break out of the cloud layer just below 800 feet, and touch down approximately 1/3 of the way down the runway. The PIC stated during the interview that the props were placed into reverse, but did not respond due to the ground air sensing switch on the nose landing gear strut. The PIC then stated as the end of the runway was approaching, the PIC "stood" on the brakes in an effort to stop the aircraft on the runway. The PIC stated that the aircraft was moving at around 10 miles per hour when it departed the prepared surface and entered the grass beyond the end of the runway. As the aircraft exited the prepared surface, the right propeller struck a runway edge light causing damage to two of the three propeller blades. The damage was limited to the right propeller only.

As the FAA filed it

THE INCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS MAKING A PLANNED FUEL STOP AT TUPELO REGIONAL AIRPORT (TUP). DURING THE APPROACH, THE PILOT IN COMMAND(PIC) REQUESTED TO PERFORM THE ILS - 36 APPROACH INTO TUP. DURING AN INTERVIEW, THE PIC STATED THAT THE WEATHER AT TUP WAS 800 OVERCAST WITH WINDS 210 AT 10 KNOTS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS GIVEN A DESCENT TO 4000 FEET. THE PIC STATED THAT AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE OUTER MARKER ON THE ILS THAT LOWER WAS REQUESTED, 3000 FEET WAS THE PUBLISHED ALTITUDE. APPROACH CONTROLLERS CLEARED THE AIRCRAFT FOR DESCENT TO 3000 FEET, AND BASED ON THE DISTANCE FROM THE OUTER MARKER, THE PIC INITIATED AN AGGRESSIVE DESCENT MANUEVER. THE PIC STATED THAT ONCE THE DESCENT MANUEVER WAS INITIATED, THE AUTOPILOT PITCHED "HARD OVER" IN ORDER TO CAPTURE THE ILS GLIDESLOPE AT THE OUTER MARKER. THE USE OF AUTOPILOT WAS THEN DISCONTINUED. THE PIC ELECTED TO CONTINUED THE APPROACH ALTHOUGH THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOVE GLIDESLOPE AND NOT STABILIZED AT THE OUTER MARKER. THE EXTRA ALTITUDE AND LACK OF BEING STABILIZED ON THE APPROACH CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BREAK OUT OF THE CLOUD LAYER JUST BELOW 800 FEET, AND TOUCH DOWN APPROXIMATELY 1/3 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE PIC STATED DURING THE INTERVIEW THAT THE PROPS WERE PLACED INTO REVERSE, BUT DID NOT RESPOND DUE TO THE GROUND AIR SENSING SWITCH ON THE NOSE LANDING GEAR STRUT. THE PIC THEN STATED AS THE END OF THE RUNWAY WAS APPROACHING, THE PIC "STOOD" ON THE BRAKES IN AN EFFORT TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY. THE PIC STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVING AT AROUND 10 MILES PER HOUR WHEN IT DEPARTED THE PREPARED SURFACE AND ENTERED THE GRASS BEYOND THE END OF THE RUNWAY. AS THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE PREPARED SURFACE, THE RIGHT PROPELLER STRUCK A RUNWAY EDGE LIGHT CAUSING DAMAGE TO TWO OF THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES. THE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE RIGHT PROPELLER ONLY.