20220530009169A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Maule MX-7-180C · Willits, CA · May 30, 2022

Date
May 30, 2022 · 08:40 local
Place
Willits, CA
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N1043B
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR22LA192
Reported as
Maule MX-7-180C
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-360-A1D
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
7,875 total42 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.

On the morning of the accident aircraft privacy data omitted departed napa county airport (kapc) for a small private strip located a privacy data omitted. The aircraft had one pilot, one passenger and full fuel on board. Flight path was direct from apc to the private airstrip. The private strip is a dirt runway approximately 1500'X100' on a 7/25 heading at 1350' MSL. Terrain rises 200' approx 800' off the east end of the runway. The aircraft approached the runway from the west on 070 heading. The aircraft touched down hard and bounced. The pilot applied power and transitioned to a climb. As the aircraft crested over a group of 60-100' tall tress, the pilot reached to pull or rotate a knob near the throttle quadrant. The pilot then turned the aircfraft to the left while the nose started to enter a nose down attitude. The aircraft leveled out, possibly left wing low before it impacted the ground. The aircraft came to rest 800' off the end of the runway and 200' to the left (north) of the centerline of the runway. The aircraft was in wheels down, wings up with the tail facing north. A post accident fire consumed most of the aircraft, the passenger extracted the pilot from the aircraft during the fire. The right wing had impact damage out at the tip and the wing was bent forward of the fuselage. The right landing gear was bent under the aircraft and was on the left side of the fuselage. The propeller and ring gear were 15-20' south of the aircraft engine. Other than the bending to the propeller blades they remained intact. The passenger was un-injured, the pilot sustained fatal blunt force trauma to the head. Engine inspection in scheduled for July. If more information becomes availible this report will be ammended to include that information.

As the FAA filed it

ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED NAPA COUNTY AIRPORT (KAPC) FOR A SMALL PRIVATE STRIP LOCATED A ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE AIRCRAFT HAD ONE PILOT, ONE PASSENGER AND FULL FUEL ON BOARD. FLIGHT PATH WAS DIRECT FROM APC TO THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. THE PRIVATE STRIP IS A DIRT RUNWAY APPROXIMATELY 1500'X100' ON A 7/25 HEADING AT 1350' MSL. TERRAIN RISES 200' APPROX 800' OFF THE EAST END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE RUNWAY FROM THE WEST ON 070 HEADING. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD AND BOUNCED. THE PILOT APPLIED POWER AND TRANSITIONED TO A CLIMB. AS THE AIRCRAFT CRESTED OVER A GROUP OF 60-100' TALL TRESS, THE PILOT REACHED TO PULL OR ROTATE A KNOB NEAR THE THROTTLE QUADRANT. THE PILOT THEN TURNED THE AIRCFRAFT TO THE LEFT WHILE THE NOSE STARTED TO ENTER A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT LEVELED OUT, POSSIBLY LEFT WING LOW BEFORE IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST 800' OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND 200' TO THE LEFT (NORTH) OF THE CENTERLINE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN WHEELS DOWN, WINGS UP WITH THE TAIL FACING NORTH. A POST ACCIDENT FIRE CONSUMED MOST OF THE AIRCRAFT, THE PASSENGER EXTRACTED THE PILOT FROM THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE FIRE. THE RIGHT WING HAD IMPACT DAMAGE OUT AT THE TIP AND THE WING WAS BENT FORWARD OF THE FUSELAGE. THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR WAS BENT UNDER THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE PROPELLER AND RING GEAR WERE 15-20' SOUTH OF THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE. OTHER THAN THE BENDING TO THE PROPELLER BLADES THEY REMAINED INTACT. THE PASSENGER WAS UN-INJURED, THE PILOT SUSTAINED FATAL BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA TO THE HEAD. ENGINE INSPECTION IN SCHEDULED FOR JULY. IF MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILIBLE THIS REPORT WILL BE AMMENDED TO INCLUDE THAT INFORMATION.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.