20200729011269I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Maule M-7-260 · OR · July 29, 2020

Date
July 29, 2020 · 12:40 local
Place
OR
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N260RH
Reported as
Maule M-7-260
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540-V4A5D
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
590 total430 in this make and model12 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.

Pilot with a passenger departed the alvord desert in se Oregon around 1200 local time. They departed into the wind that the pilot reported to be about 10-15 knots. After takeoff with the aircraft about 30 feet AGL on climb out, the pilot experienced a strong down draft of air coming off a ridge approximately 1/8 mile from their takeoff location. Pilot estimates that density altitude was about 6000 feet. The elevation of the ground at the departure point is 4000 feet MSL. The aircraft was forced to the ground and the aircraft hit a 4 foot tall barbed wire fence. The pilot kept flying the aircraft to another desert location where he could make a safe landing.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WITH A PASSENGER DEPARTED THE ALVORD DESERT IN SE OREGON AROUND 1200 LOCAL TIME. THEY DEPARTED INTO THE WIND THAT THE PILOT REPORTED TO BE ABOUT 10-15 KNOTS. AFTER TAKEOFF WITH THE AIRCRAFT ABOUT 30 FEET AGL ON CLIMB OUT, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A STRONG DOWN DRAFT OF AIR COMING OFF A RIDGE APPROXIMATELY 1/8 MILE FROM THEIR TAKEOFF LOCATION. PILOT ESTIMATES THAT DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS ABOUT 6000 FEET. THE ELEVATION OF THE GROUND AT THE DEPARTURE POINT IS 4000 FEET MSL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FORCED TO THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT HIT A 4 FOOT TALL BARBED WIRE FENCE. THE PILOT KEPT FLYING THE AIRCRAFT TO ANOTHER DESERT LOCATION WHERE HE COULD MAKE A SAFE LANDING.