20201128014679I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Socata TB-20 TRINIDAD · Fort Meade, MD · November 28, 2020

Date: November 28, 2020 · 17:00 local
Place: Fort Meade, MD
Airport: Tipton Airport
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N221AM
Reported as: Socata TB-20 Trinidad
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540-C4D5D
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,000 total2 in this make and model13 in the last 90 days

N221AMRegistered now · Socata TB-20 TRINIDADS/N 1856 · Built 1998 Airframe modelSocata TB-20 TRINIDAD Engine modelLycoming IO-540-C4D5DReciprocating

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.

While flying at approximately 1500 ft near kfme the pilot noticed a kite above and to the left of the aircraft. The pilot believed they had passed the kite without incident. However, upon landing it was found that the string from the kit had been wrapped around the left wingtip fairing. The pilot estimated that about 200 feet of string was still attached to the aircraft. The string had cut into the leading edge of the wingtip fairing approximately 4 inches. No other damage was noted and it is not possible to trace the source of the kite.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE FLYING AT APPROXIMATELY 1500 FT NEAR KFME THE PILOT NOTICED A KITE ABOVE AND TO THE LEFT OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT BELIEVED THEY HAD PASSED THE KITE WITHOUT INCIDENT. HOWEVER, UPON LANDING IT WAS FOUND THAT THE STRING FROM THE KIT HAD BEEN WRAPPED AROUND THE LEFT WINGTIP FAIRING. THE PILOT ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 200 FEET OF STRING WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE STRING HAD CUT INTO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WINGTIP FAIRING APPROXIMATELY 4 INCHES. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS NOTED AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO TRACE THE SOURCE OF THE KITE.