20201022014769I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-181 · Mcgaheysville, VA · October 22, 2020

Date: October 22, 2020 · 19:20 local
Place: Mcgaheysville, VA
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3443M
Reported as: Piper PA-28-181
Reported engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot

N3443MRegistered now · Piper PA-28-181S/N 28-7890302 · Built 1977 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-181 Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

During landing the aircraft's right main landing gear struck a large drainage pipe that was placed approximately 200 feet from the approach end of a grass runway. The pipes were left behind after a housing development was built and were not visible due to tall grass. The top of the pipe that was struck was 27 inches above the runway elevation. The bolts attaching the gear were sheared off and the gear was found just before the mowed section of the runway. The aircraft landed off to the right side of the mowed section of grass approximately 1000 feet from the approach end of the runway.

As the FAA filed it

DURING LANDING THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUCK A LARGE DRAINAGE PIPE THAT WAS PLACED APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF A GRASS RUNWAY. THE PIPES WERE LEFT BEHIND AFTER A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT WAS BUILT AND WERE NOT VISIBLE DUE TO TALL GRASS. THE TOP OF THE PIPE THAT WAS STRUCK WAS 27 INCHES ABOVE THE RUNWAY ELEVATION. THE BOLTS ATTACHING THE GEAR WERE SHEARED OFF AND THE GEAR WAS FOUND JUST BEFORE THE MOWED SECTION OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED OFF TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE MOWED SECTION OF GRASS APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY.