20190421003149I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bellanca 7GCBC · St Paul, MN · April 21, 2019

Date: April 21, 2019 · 12:40 local
Place: St Paul, MN
Airport: St Paul
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N75MM
Reported as: Bellanca 7GCBC
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,300 total15 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N75MMRegistered now · Bellanca 7GCBCS/N 824-75 · Built 1975 Airframe modelBellanca 7GCBC Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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.

At kstp, the pilot of N75MM was cleared for the option rwy 14. The pilot's intent was to execute a touch and go. The pilot had not done a touch and go recently and this is not his common practice. The pilot has minimal time in this aircraft model and only recently had been signed off model specific. The PIC stopped looking down the runway and looked down to set the flaps to zero, trim wheel to the neutral line, and turn the carb heat on. When he looked up and down the runway he was already veering off of centerline and could not stop it. The motion resulted in a ground loop with the right wingtip contacting the ground prior to the aircraft stopping. Post maintenance inspection showed no wing spar damage indicating a minor damage report. The plan for this aircraft, however, is to replace the wings with a more modern option and return the aircraft to service.

As the FAA filed it

AT KSTP, THE PILOT OF N75MM WAS CLEARED FOR THE OPTION RWY 14. THE PILOT'S INTENT WAS TO EXECUTE A TOUCH AND GO. THE PILOT HAD NOT DONE A TOUCH AND GO RECENTLY AND THIS IS NOT HIS COMMON PRACTICE. THE PILOT HAS MINIMAL TIME IN THIS AIRCRAFT MODEL AND ONLY RECENTLY HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF MODEL SPECIFIC. THE PIC STOPPED LOOKING DOWN THE RUNWAY AND LOOKED DOWN TO SET THE FLAPS TO ZERO, TRIM WHEEL TO THE NEUTRAL LINE, AND TURN THE CARB HEAT ON. WHEN HE LOOKED UP AND DOWN THE RUNWAY HE WAS ALREADY VEERING OFF OF CENTERLINE AND COULD NOT STOP IT. THE MOTION RESULTED IN A GROUND LOOP WITH THE RIGHT WINGTIP CONTACTING THE GROUND PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT STOPPING. POST MAINTENANCE INSPECTION SHOWED NO WING SPAR DAMAGE INDICATING A MINOR DAMAGE REPORT. THE PLAN FOR THIS AIRCRAFT, HOWEVER, IS TO REPLACE THE WINGS WITH A MORE MODERN OPTION AND RETURN THE AIRCRAFT TO SERVICE.