20210511008489I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-24-250 · Lodi, CA · May 11, 2021

Date
May 11, 2021 · 18:15 local
Place
Lodi, CA
Airport
Lodi
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7018P
Reported as
Piper PA-24-250
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
400 total250 in this make and model

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 reported that he changed his normal 45* pattern entry to a straight in approach to runway 26. He reports coming in fast and that he did not complete his pre-landing checklist to ensure landing gear was down and locked. A normal power off landing flair was performed. He did remember hearing a warning horn but mistook it as a stall warning. On touch down the aircraft skidded on its belly down the runway centerline for 40 to 60 feet and came to a stop.

The aircraft damage was isolated to the following: severe scrapping of bottom centerline of fuselage and the inboard edges of flaps were bent.

Propeller was damaged with both tips being curled over by slow speed contact with runway on touch down.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT REPORTED THAT HE CHANGED HIS NORMAL 45* PATTERN ENTRY TO A STRAIGHT IN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 26. HE REPORTS COMING IN FAST AND THAT HE DID NOT COMPLETE HIS PRE-LANDING CHECKLIST TO ENSURE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. A NORMAL POWER OFF LANDING FLAIR WAS PERFORMED. HE DID REMEMBER HEARING A WARNING HORN BUT MISTOOK IT AS A STALL WARNING. ON TOUCH DOWN THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ON ITS BELLY DOWN THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE FOR 40 TO 60 FEET AND CAME TO A STOP.

THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS ISOLATED TO THE FOLLOWING: SEVERE SCRAPPING OF BOTTOM CENTERLINE OF FUSELAGE AND THE INBOARD EDGES OF FLAPS WERE BENT.

PROPELLER WAS DAMAGED WITH BOTH TIPS BEING CURLED OVER BY SLOW SPEED CONTACT WITH RUNWAY ON TOUCH DOWN.