20190718012089I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Conroe, TX · July 18, 2019

Date
July 18, 2019 · 21:25 local
Place
Conroe, TX
Airport
Conroe-North Houston Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N323K
Reported as
Beech A36
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
373 total234 in this make and model45 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.

On Thursday July 18, 2019, privacy data omitted (pilot) departed approximately at 20:15 (CST) on a VFR flight from san marcos, TX (khyi) to Conroe, TX (kcxo) with 2 passengers. Pilot did not pick up VFR flight following for the trip but did monitor the area-appropriate ATC frequencies enroute and adsb for other traffic. There was one other aircraft within 5 NM of their positon that was also going in for a full-stop landing at cxo. When that aircraft announced that it was clear of runway 14 at cxo, N523K was on a right-base for cxo at approximately 4.5 NM out and close to turning to final and had deployed the landing gear (3 down & green). As N523K turned for approximately a 3.5-4 mile final for runway 14, pilot extended flaps and further slowed his airspeed. The approach and landing proceeded normally from that point with pilot continuing to make position reports (3 mile final, 1 mile final) on the CTAF and doing another pre-landing check with a confirmation that the aircraft still had 3 down & green. Pilot began his flare near the runway numbers. He bounced the landing on initial touchdown and was settling back down to the runway onto the mains when, as the nose was touching down, pilot became aware that there was a problem. The aircraft lurched forward and shortly after pilot felt the prop strike, he shut down the engine. Aircraft skidded down the runway close to the centerline but started trying to move to the right when he gauged his speed to be slow enough to get off the runway and as he was approaching a crossing taxiway. Pilot was very concerned at this point about getting off of the runway as he had heard some other traffic that he thought might be landing at cxo on the CTAF and on 119.7. When he gauged that they would not be able to make it to the crossing taxiway he steered the plane to the very rightmost edge of runway 14 and the plane came to a stop as his right main gear and nose strut (the wheel assembly was gone at this point) touched the grass next to the runway. He secured the plane and got the passengers off onto the grass on the side of the runway. The propeller suffered a prop strike. The nose landing gear spindle with wheel assembly was completely broken off nose landing gear strut. The belly of the aircraft sustained impacts when the the nose landing gear spindle separated from the nose landing gear strut. No post crash fire and no injuries to pilot or passengers.

As the FAA filed it

ON THURSDAY JULY 18, 2019, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (PILOT) DEPARTED APPROXIMATELY AT 20:15 (CST) ON A VFR FLIGHT FROM SAN MARCOS, TX (KHYI) TO CONROE, TX (KCXO) WITH 2 PASSENGERS. PILOT DID NOT PICK UP VFR FLIGHT FOLLOWING FOR THE TRIP BUT DID MONITOR THE AREA-APPROPRIATE ATC FREQUENCIES ENROUTE AND ADSB FOR OTHER TRAFFIC. THERE WAS ONE OTHER AIRCRAFT WITHIN 5 NM OF THEIR POSITON THAT WAS ALSO GOING IN FOR A FULL-STOP LANDING AT CXO. WHEN THAT AIRCRAFT ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS CLEAR OF RUNWAY 14 AT CXO, N523K WAS ON A RIGHT-BASE FOR CXO AT APPROXIMATELY 4.5 NM OUT AND CLOSE TO TURNING TO FINAL AND HAD DEPLOYED THE LANDING GEAR (3 DOWN & GREEN). AS N523K TURNED FOR APPROXIMATELY A 3.5-4 MILE FINAL FOR RUNWAY 14, PILOT EXTENDED FLAPS AND FURTHER SLOWED HIS AIRSPEED. THE APPROACH AND LANDING PROCEEDED NORMALLY FROM THAT POINT WITH PILOT CONTINUING TO MAKE POSITION REPORTS (3 MILE FINAL, 1 MILE FINAL) ON THE CTAF AND DOING ANOTHER PRE-LANDING CHECK WITH A CONFIRMATION THAT THE AIRCRAFT STILL HAD 3 DOWN & GREEN. PILOT BEGAN HIS FLARE NEAR THE RUNWAY NUMBERS. HE BOUNCED THE LANDING ON INITIAL TOUCHDOWN AND WAS SETTLING BACK DOWN TO THE RUNWAY ONTO THE MAINS WHEN, AS THE NOSE WAS TOUCHING DOWN, PILOT BECAME AWARE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THE AIRCRAFT LURCHED FORWARD AND SHORTLY AFTER PILOT FELT THE PROP STRIKE, HE SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. AIRCRAFT SKIDDED DOWN THE RUNWAY CLOSE TO THE CENTERLINE BUT STARTED TRYING TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT WHEN HE GAUGED HIS SPEED TO BE SLOW ENOUGH TO GET OFF THE RUNWAY AND AS HE WAS APPROACHING A CROSSING TAXIWAY. PILOT WAS VERY CONCERNED AT THIS POINT ABOUT GETTING OFF OF THE RUNWAY AS HE HAD HEARD SOME OTHER TRAFFIC THAT HE THOUGHT MIGHT BE LANDING AT CXO ON THE CTAF AND ON 119.7. WHEN HE GAUGED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE CROSSING TAXIWAY HE STEERED THE PLANE TO THE VERY RIGHTMOST EDGE OF RUNWAY 14 AND THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP AS HIS RIGHT MAIN GEAR AND NOSE STRUT (THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS GONE AT THIS POINT) TOUCHED THE GRASS NEXT TO THE RUNWAY. HE SECURED THE PLANE AND GOT THE PASSENGERS OFF ONTO THE GRASS ON THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE PROPELLER SUFFERED A PROP STRIKE. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR SPINDLE WITH WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF NOSE LANDING GEAR STRUT. THE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED IMPACTS WHEN THE THE NOSE LANDING GEAR SPINDLE SEPARATED FROM THE NOSE LANDING GEAR STRUT. NO POST CRASH FIRE AND NO INJURIES TO PILOT OR PASSENGERS.