20200307001479I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Dierksen Alan R LONG-EZ · Prescott, AZ · March 7, 2020

Date: March 7, 2020 · 12:15 local
Place: Prescott, AZ
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N974EZ
Reported as: Dierksen Alan R LONG-EZ
Reported engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0

N974EZRegistration cancelled Apr 18, 2026 · Dierksen Alan R LONG-EZS/N 974 · Built 1984 Airframe modelDierksen Alan R LONG-EZ Engine modelLycoming O-320-E2D4 cycle

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.

Pilot reported that the nose wheel separated from the aircraft shortly after takeoff. Aircraft landed with gear down at prc. Damage to aircraft was limited to the tip of the fiberglass nose strut being ground down. Investigation revealed that the current owner of the aircraft had modified the mounting of the nose wheel assembly with an aluminum skid which had bowed allowing the attachment to loosen.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT REPORTED THAT THE NOSE WHEEL SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH GEAR DOWN AT PRC. DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED TO THE TIP OF THE FIBERGLASS NOSE STRUT BEING GROUND DOWN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE CURRENT OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT HAD MODIFIED THE MOUNTING OF THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY WITH AN ALUMINUM SKID WHICH HAD BOWED ALLOWING THE ATTACHMENT TO LOOSEN.