20200131003989I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Socata TBM 700 · Fergus Falls, MN · January 31, 2020

Date
January 31, 2020 · 13:15 local
Place
Fergus Falls, MN
Airport
Fergus Falls Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N904EA
Reported as
Socata TBM 700
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A66D
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
10,000 total485 in this make and model40 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.

N904EA off runway landing 31JAN2020 Fergus Falls, MN, kffm

Review of flight; flight was from dikinson, n.d. kdik to Fergus Falls, MN. Kffm

It was an IFR flight plan, the pilot had been watching the weather all morning at Fergus Falls and fargo for an alternate. Arriving at kffm the ASOS was reporting 2.5 sm 1600 ft with winds out of the south. Pilot requested rnav/gps 13 approach. PIC made a call on UNICOM to which the FBO responded there is 1/2 inch of snow on top of what is believed to be a glare ice runway. PIC had talked to airport manager the night before and was told of the snow on runway, but did figure by 1300 local they would have plowed the runway. PIC continued the approach, not breaking out until about 600 ft at which time he saw some geese and took a hard left, then got back on his visual. The tbm only heats part of the windshield so he did not have full forward visibility. As he looked he saw a bare spot, figured it was part of the runway, and there was a row of lights to the right of it, so his target was the bare spot and keep the row of lights to his right, he was locked in and fixated on it visually, he did not cross check his instruments. Landing seemed about normal until he lowered the nose then the airplane came to an abrupt stop. Engine was still running, PIC shutdown and got out uninjured.

The aircraft was about 30 ft left/east of runway 13 and 290 ft north of taxiway bravo. The PIC stated that the bare spots he was fixated on were where the plow had pushed snow off the runway back into the grass, they were dark grass spots. PIC never saw the papis, ASI stated they probably went right under the airplane looking at the lineup and landing position. The aircraft was taken apart and crated back to Socata in Florida where it is expected to be returned to service in may. Main gear doors, prop strike, nose gear and assembly, and avionics bay had damage deemed minor.

As the FAA filed it

N904EA OFF RUNWAY LANDING 31JAN2020 FERGUS FALLS, MN, KFFM

REVIEW OF FLIGHT; FLIGHT WAS FROM DIKINSON, N.D. KDIK TO FERGUS FALLS, MN. KFFM

IT WAS AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN, THE PILOT HAD BEEN WATCHING THE WEATHER ALL MORNING AT FERGUS FALLS AND FARGO FOR AN ALTERNATE. ARRIVING AT KFFM THE ASOS WAS REPORTING 2.5 SM 1600 FT WITH WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTH. PILOT REQUESTED RNAV/GPS 13 APPROACH. PIC MADE A CALL ON UNICOM TO WHICH THE FBO RESPONDED THERE IS 1/2 INCH OF SNOW ON TOP OF WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE A GLARE ICE RUNWAY. PIC HAD TALKED TO AIRPORT MANAGER THE NIGHT BEFORE AND WAS TOLD OF THE SNOW ON RUNWAY, BUT DID FIGURE BY 1300 LOCAL THEY WOULD HAVE PLOWED THE RUNWAY. PIC CONTINUED THE APPROACH, NOT BREAKING OUT UNTIL ABOUT 600 FT AT WHICH TIME HE SAW SOME GEESE AND TOOK A HARD LEFT, THEN GOT BACK ON HIS VISUAL. THE TBM ONLY HEATS PART OF THE WINDSHIELD SO HE DID NOT HAVE FULL FORWARD VISIBILITY. AS HE LOOKED HE SAW A BARE SPOT, FIGURED IT WAS PART OF THE RUNWAY, AND THERE WAS A ROW OF LIGHTS TO THE RIGHT OF IT, SO HIS TARGET WAS THE BARE SPOT AND KEEP THE ROW OF LIGHTS TO HIS RIGHT, HE WAS LOCKED IN AND FIXATED ON IT VISUALLY, HE DID NOT CROSS CHECK HIS INSTRUMENTS. LANDING SEEMED ABOUT NORMAL UNTIL HE LOWERED THE NOSE THEN THE AIRPLANE CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING, PIC SHUTDOWN AND GOT OUT UNINJURED.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT 30 FT LEFT/EAST OF RUNWAY 13 AND 290 FT NORTH OF TAXIWAY BRAVO. THE PIC STATED THAT THE BARE SPOTS HE WAS FIXATED ON WERE WHERE THE PLOW HAD PUSHED SNOW OFF THE RUNWAY BACK INTO THE GRASS, THEY WERE DARK GRASS SPOTS. PIC NEVER SAW THE PAPIS, ASI STATED THEY PROBABLY WENT RIGHT UNDER THE AIRPLANE LOOKING AT THE LINEUP AND LANDING POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN APART AND CRATED BACK TO SOCATA IN FLORIDA WHERE IT IS EXPECTED TO BE RETURNED TO SERVICE IN MAY. MAIN GEAR DOORS, PROP STRIKE, NOSE GEAR AND ASSEMBLY, AND AVIONICS BAY HAD DAMAGE DEEMED MINOR.