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20200523008489I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-44-180 · New Smyrna, FL · May 23, 2020

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 23, 2020 · 10:35 local
Place
New Smyrna, FL
Airport
New Smyrna Beach Municipal
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N417EP
Reported as
Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360-A1H6
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,643 total690 in this make and model339 in the last 90 days
N417EPRegistered now · Piper PA-44-180S/N 4496403 · Built 2017Airframe modelPiper PA-44-180Engine modelLycoming O-360-A1H6Reciprocating

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 may 23, 2020 ip privacy data omitted was practicing aborted take-offs in a PA-44 with his student on a closed runway with tower permission. Ip and student briefed what to do if there was an engine failure and how to react. Ip stated the student initiated a simulated takeoff, and almost immediately the ip pulled the right engine mixture back to simulate a rough running engine. Ip said they held their left foot over the left rudder to block it in case the student pushed in the incorrect rudder. Ip began talking to the student as to what they should do to abort the takeoff. When it became apparent that the student was not reacting, ip called for the controls and closed the throttle and began turning back towards the center line with a combination of rudder and brake. The airplane was turned a bit too FAR to the right, so when turning back towards the runway, the turn radius of the airplane brought the right propeller over one of the runway edge lights. The runway edge light bulb was shattered on impact. Ip immediately taxied back to the ramp to have maintenance inspect the airplane. After securing the airplane, it was apparent that one of the propeller blades was damaged on impact. Ip called the tower to inform them of the damage to the runway light so they could inspect the light and clean any debris that may have been left in the runway environment.

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 23, 2020 IP ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS PRACTICING ABORTED TAKE-OFFS IN A PA-44 WITH HIS STUDENT ON A CLOSED RUNWAY WITH TOWER PERMISSION. IP AND STUDENT BRIEFED WHAT TO DO IF THERE WAS AN ENGINE FAILURE AND HOW TO REACT. IP STATED THE STUDENT INITIATED A SIMULATED TAKEOFF, AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE IP PULLED THE RIGHT ENGINE MIXTURE BACK TO SIMULATE A ROUGH RUNNING ENGINE. IP SAID THEY HELD THEIR LEFT FOOT OVER THE LEFT RUDDER TO BLOCK IT IN CASE THE STUDENT PUSHED IN THE INCORRECT RUDDER. IP BEGAN TALKING TO THE STUDENT AS TO WHAT THEY SHOULD DO TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. WHEN IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE STUDENT WAS NOT REACTING, IP CALLED FOR THE CONTROLS AND CLOSED THE THROTTLE AND BEGAN TURNING BACK TOWARDS THE CENTER LINE WITH A COMBINATION OF RUDDER AND BRAKE. THE AIRPLANE WAS TURNED A BIT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT, SO WHEN TURNING BACK TOWARDS THE RUNWAY, THE TURN RADIUS OF THE AIRPLANE BROUGHT THE RIGHT PROPELLER OVER ONE OF THE RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS. THE RUNWAY EDGE LIGHT BULB WAS SHATTERED ON IMPACT. IP IMMEDIATELY TAXIED BACK TO THE RAMP TO HAVE MAINTENANCE INSPECT THE AIRPLANE. AFTER SECURING THE AIRPLANE, IT WAS APPARENT THAT ONE OF THE PROPELLER BLADES WAS DAMAGED ON IMPACT. IP CALLED THE TOWER TO INFORM THEM OF THE DAMAGE TO THE RUNWAY LIGHT SO THEY COULD INSPECT THE LIGHT AND CLEAN ANY DEBRIS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT.