What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft condition inspection was completed 10/21/2019.
Pilots description of the event:
The aircraft is a KR-2 N6242 ea-b, built from vendor plans by myself. This model is generally acknowledged to be responsive in handling characteristics. The aircraft is in phase I flight test. This event was the fifth flight. Modifications had been completed to mitigate aft CG issues found in the first four flights. The cockpit had also been modified to convert from two-place side by side to single-place for better ergonomics. Fuel onboard measured 6 gallons right tank, 7 gallons left tank. Total capacity is 15 gallons. Weather conditions: clear sky, visibility greater than 10 miles, wind from the south at less than 5 knots resulting in a direct crosswind component, gusts were 0 to 5 knots, windsock favored using runway 29. Takeoff had no issues. Climbed easily to 2500 feet to the practice area 5 miles north of K2W6. Explored handling characteristics. About 5 knots prior to each stall, got some slight airframe buffet and elevator stick shake. Determined power off stalls to be 57 knots clean and 52 knots full flaps, no indication of wing drop. Shallow and steep turns up to 45 degrees bank did not require rudder input for coordination, as expected. All air speeds are indicated. Level cruise speed was 124 knots at 2500 feet and 3000 RPM using a 52X52 Wood prop. OAT was 16 degrees c.
Returned to K2W6 and entered the 29 pattern cross wind at 1000 feet MSL. Wind sock favored runway 29. Made radio calls for inbound, cross wind, down wind, left base and final. There was no other aircraft traffic either on the ground or airborne. The plan was to make two touch-and-goes and then a full stop. This would be the first use of flaps for landing N6242. My first approach using full flaps was at 65 knots, but to high over the threshold, so executed a go-around. Down low under 50 feet AGL the crosswind required a slight crab and also had some light gusts. The next full flap approach crossed the 29 threshold at about 30 feet AGL and 65 knots. About 2 feet AGL a sudden gust picked up the left wing just as I attempted to take out the left crab. I countered with left roll and right rudder. Both inputs were over-controlled and pio started. The aircraft impacted the runway for a hard landing in a level attitude. Rollout was tracking on the runway centerline for a few seconds before the nose started a gradual uncommanded pitch down. Full aft stick would not stop the pitch down. The prop impacted the runway and yawed the nose to the left approximately 30 degrees. Now sliding on the nose, the aircraft was heading in a straight line for the left edge of the runway. Main gear wheels were functional. Right rudder and braking was nil. As the nose impacted the grass, the aircraft yawed quickly to the left in a ground loop. The right main gear collapsed and the right wing tip scrapped on the edge of the runway. Total turn for the ground loop was about one fourth of a turn. The aircraft stopped off the runway pavement edge.
Before securing the aircraft I made a radio call to alert any other aircraft that my aircraft was blocking the runway. When I shut off the ignition, the engine stopped and the jagged stub of one Wood prop blade suddenly appeared over the cowl. A construction worker from the taxiway re-construction job site was the first responder. I was not injured; seat belts do work. I assisted the airport manager and the skytech FBO personnel with a runway FOD walk down picking up prop splinters and bits of fiberglass. The nose gear was found about ten feet from the aircraft in the grass at the runway edge. The collapsed right main gear leg was still attached to the aircraft. Perry benshoof, Washington FSDO, responded to the incident and authorized movement of the aircraft. Skytech personnel used a fork lift, helicopter dolly and a tractor to retrieve the aircraft and put it in my hangar at K2W6. Flight time was 0.8
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT CONDITION INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED 10/21/2019.
PILOTS DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT:
THE AIRCRAFT IS A KR-2 N6242 EA-B, BUILT FROM VENDOR PLANS BY MYSELF. THIS MODEL IS GENERALLY ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE RESPONSIVE IN HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS. THE AIRCRAFT IS IN PHASE I FLIGHT TEST. THIS EVENT WAS THE FIFTH FLIGHT. MODIFICATIONS HAD BEEN COMPLETED TO MITIGATE AFT CG ISSUES FOUND IN THE FIRST FOUR FLIGHTS. THE COCKPIT HAD ALSO BEEN MODIFIED TO CONVERT FROM TWO-PLACE SIDE BY SIDE TO SINGLE-PLACE FOR BETTER ERGONOMICS. FUEL ONBOARD MEASURED 6 GALLONS RIGHT TANK, 7 GALLONS LEFT TANK. TOTAL CAPACITY IS 15 GALLONS. WEATHER CONDITIONS: CLEAR SKY, VISIBILITY GREATER THAN 10 MILES, WIND FROM THE SOUTH AT LESS THAN 5 KNOTS RESULTING IN A DIRECT CROSSWIND COMPONENT, GUSTS WERE 0 TO 5 KNOTS, WINDSOCK FAVORED USING RUNWAY 29. TAKEOFF HAD NO ISSUES. CLIMBED EASILY TO 2500 FEET TO THE PRACTICE AREA 5 MILES NORTH OF K2W6. EXPLORED HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS. ABOUT 5 KNOTS PRIOR TO EACH STALL, GOT SOME SLIGHT AIRFRAME BUFFET AND ELEVATOR STICK SHAKE. DETERMINED POWER OFF STALLS TO BE 57 KNOTS CLEAN AND 52 KNOTS FULL FLAPS, NO INDICATION OF WING DROP. SHALLOW AND STEEP TURNS UP TO 45 DEGREES BANK DID NOT REQUIRE RUDDER INPUT FOR COORDINATION, AS EXPECTED. ALL AIR SPEEDS ARE INDICATED. LEVEL CRUISE SPEED WAS 124 KNOTS AT 2500 FEET AND 3000 RPM USING A 52X52 WOOD PROP. OAT WAS 16 DEGREES C.
RETURNED TO K2W6 AND ENTERED THE 29 PATTERN CROSS WIND AT 1000 FEET MSL. WIND SOCK FAVORED RUNWAY 29. MADE RADIO CALLS FOR INBOUND, CROSS WIND, DOWN WIND, LEFT BASE AND FINAL. THERE WAS NO OTHER AIRCRAFT TRAFFIC EITHER ON THE GROUND OR AIRBORNE. THE PLAN WAS TO MAKE TWO TOUCH-AND-GOES AND THEN A FULL STOP. THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST USE OF FLAPS FOR LANDING N6242. MY FIRST APPROACH USING FULL FLAPS WAS AT 65 KNOTS, BUT TO HIGH OVER THE THRESHOLD, SO EXECUTED A GO-AROUND. DOWN LOW UNDER 50 FEET AGL THE CROSSWIND REQUIRED A SLIGHT CRAB AND ALSO HAD SOME LIGHT GUSTS. THE NEXT FULL FLAP APPROACH CROSSED THE 29 THRESHOLD AT ABOUT 30 FEET AGL AND 65 KNOTS. ABOUT 2 FEET AGL A SUDDEN GUST PICKED UP THE LEFT WING JUST AS I ATTEMPTED TO TAKE OUT THE LEFT CRAB. I COUNTERED WITH LEFT ROLL AND RIGHT RUDDER. BOTH INPUTS WERE OVER-CONTROLLED AND PIO STARTED. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE RUNWAY FOR A HARD LANDING IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE. ROLLOUT WAS TRACKING ON THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE NOSE STARTED A GRADUAL UNCOMMANDED PITCH DOWN. FULL AFT STICK WOULD NOT STOP THE PITCH DOWN. THE PROP IMPACTED THE RUNWAY AND YAWED THE NOSE TO THE LEFT APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREES. NOW SLIDING ON THE NOSE, THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADING IN A STRAIGHT LINE FOR THE LEFT EDGE OF THE RUNWAY. MAIN GEAR WHEELS WERE FUNCTIONAL. RIGHT RUDDER AND BRAKING WAS NIL. AS THE NOSE IMPACTED THE GRASS, THE AIRCRAFT YAWED QUICKLY TO THE LEFT IN A GROUND LOOP. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE RIGHT WING TIP SCRAPPED ON THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY. TOTAL TURN FOR THE GROUND LOOP WAS ABOUT ONE FOURTH OF A TURN. THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED OFF THE RUNWAY PAVEMENT EDGE.
BEFORE SECURING THE AIRCRAFT I MADE A RADIO CALL TO ALERT ANY OTHER AIRCRAFT THAT MY AIRCRAFT WAS BLOCKING THE RUNWAY. WHEN I SHUT OFF THE IGNITION, THE ENGINE STOPPED AND THE JAGGED STUB OF ONE WOOD PROP BLADE SUDDENLY APPEARED OVER THE COWL. A CONSTRUCTION WORKER FROM THE TAXIWAY RE-CONSTRUCTION JOB SITE WAS THE FIRST RESPONDER. I WAS NOT INJURED; SEAT BELTS DO WORK. I ASSISTED THE AIRPORT MANAGER AND THE SKYTECH FBO PERSONNEL WITH A RUNWAY FOD WALK DOWN PICKING UP PROP SPLINTERS AND BITS OF FIBERGLASS. THE NOSE GEAR WAS FOUND ABOUT TEN FEET FROM THE AIRCRAFT IN THE GRASS AT THE RUNWAY EDGE. THE COLLAPSED RIGHT MAIN GEAR LEG WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT. PERRY BENSHOOF, WASHINGTON FSDO, RESPONDED TO THE INCIDENT AND AUTHORIZED MOVEMENT OF THE AIRCRAFT. SKYTECH PERSONNEL USED A FORK LIFT, HELICOPTER DOLLY AND A TRACTOR TO RETRIEVE THE AIRCRAFT AND PUT IT IN MY HANGAR AT K2W6. FLIGHT TIME WAS 0.8