20200326003089I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Mankato, MN · March 26, 2020

Date
March 26, 2020 · 18:45 local
Place
Mankato, MN
Airport
Mankato Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
NUTS
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N286MK
Reported as
Piper PA-28-161
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
17 total17 in this make and model17 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.

Kmkt, rwy 33, N286MK was being flown by a student pilot PIC going out for his first solo. Winds were 180/03 so relatively calm, but left quartering tailwind.

Solo PIC landed the aircraft on rwy 33 but as he was rolling out the plane started veering right towards the runway edge. PIC made the decision to go around. Added power and pulled the plane off the deck, but it departed the right side of the runway at approximately 6 inches above the ground. The inside of the left main tire hit a rwy light as the low flying plane passed over the top of it. The impact flung the light pole into the bottom of the left wing tearing open a 3 inch gash in the fuel tank. The aircraft climbed to pattern altitude. The student pilot saw the fuel streaming from the left wing and called his CFI on the cell phone to ask what to do. The CFI told him to land immediately.

The solo PIC did not declare an emergency, flew a normal pattern for a planned full stop. He stated he was nervous, he landed the plane, on roll out it was veering right again, he made the decision he would just ride it out. At 1500 ft the plane departed the right side of the rwy into the grass proceeding in a northerly direction. In the process the aircraft came up on the intersecting rwy where it had a prop strike, after crossing this rwy, it came to a full stop in the muddy grass 500 ft from where it initially departed the right side of rwy 33.

The solo PIC shutdown the aircraft and had an uneventful egress. Damage to the aircraft was a punctured left fuel tank and a prop strike.

As the FAA filed it

KMKT, RWY 33, N286MK WAS BEING FLOWN BY A STUDENT PILOT PIC GOING OUT FOR HIS FIRST SOLO. WINDS WERE 180/03 SO RELATIVELY CALM, BUT LEFT QUARTERING TAILWIND.

SOLO PIC LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON RWY 33 BUT AS HE WAS ROLLING OUT THE PLANE STARTED VEERING RIGHT TOWARDS THE RUNWAY EDGE. PIC MADE THE DECISION TO GO AROUND. ADDED POWER AND PULLED THE PLANE OFF THE DECK, BUT IT DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 6 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND. THE INSIDE OF THE LEFT MAIN TIRE HIT A RWY LIGHT AS THE LOW FLYING PLANE PASSED OVER THE TOP OF IT. THE IMPACT FLUNG THE LIGHT POLE INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT WING TEARING OPEN A 3 INCH GASH IN THE FUEL TANK. THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO PATTERN ALTITUDE. THE STUDENT PILOT SAW THE FUEL STREAMING FROM THE LEFT WING AND CALLED HIS CFI ON THE CELL PHONE TO ASK WHAT TO DO. THE CFI TOLD HIM TO LAND IMMEDIATELY.

THE SOLO PIC DID NOT DECLARE AN EMERGENCY, FLEW A NORMAL PATTERN FOR A PLANNED FULL STOP. HE STATED HE WAS NERVOUS, HE LANDED THE PLANE, ON ROLL OUT IT WAS VEERING RIGHT AGAIN, HE MADE THE DECISION HE WOULD JUST RIDE IT OUT. AT 1500 FT THE PLANE DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY INTO THE GRASS PROCEEDING IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION. IN THE PROCESS THE AIRCRAFT CAME UP ON THE INTERSECTING RWY WHERE IT HAD A PROP STRIKE, AFTER CROSSING THIS RWY, IT CAME TO A FULL STOP IN THE MUDDY GRASS 500 FT FROM WHERE IT INITIALLY DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF RWY 33.

THE SOLO PIC SHUTDOWN THE AIRCRAFT AND HAD AN UNEVENTFUL EGRESS. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS A PUNCTURED LEFT FUEL TANK AND A PROP STRIKE.