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20220602009319I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Aviat PITTS S-2C · Centennial, CO · June 2, 2022

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 2, 2022 · 15:20 local
Place
Centennial, CO
Airport
Centennial
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N317JK
Reported as
Aviat Pitts S-2C
Reported engine
Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
7,000 total4,000 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days
N317JKRegistered now · Aviat PITTS S-2CS/N 6081 · Built 2008Airframe modelAviat PITTS S-2CEngine modelLycoming AEIO-540-D4A5Reciprocating

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 June 2, 2022 at 2120Z aircraft privacy data omitted,a pitts S-2C, departed runway 28 at Centennial Airport and struck a runway sign causing damage to the right wingtip. The pilot in command (PIC) was giving aerobatic instruction to a student from the collage?s aerobatic team. The weather was VFR with variable winds at 3 knots. Returning to the airport, the PIC chose to land on runway 28 for the shorter taxi distance. The PIC performed the landing and landed slightly left of the centerline of the runway with a drift to the right. The PIC applied control inputs to correct the drift, however the aircraft continued to the right. She recognized that over-correction could cause a ground loop. The PIC elected to continue minor corrections but the left wheel departed the paved surface of the runway causing the right wing tip to contact a runway sign. The PIC returned to the runway surface and taxied back to the hangar. Post flight reviled impact damage to the right lower wing tip. The PIC stated that a small gust of wind hit before touchdown and she underestimated the amount of correction required. She stated that she did not want to ground loop the airplane so she input small corrections which prevented the ground loop but caused a slight off pavement roll out before returning to the runway. Weather at the time of the incident was winds variable at 3 knots with a temperature of 20 centigrade.

As the FAA filed it

ON JUNE 2, 2022 AT 2120Z AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^,A PITTS S-2C, DEPARTED RUNWAY 28 AT CENTENNIAL AIRPORT AND STRUCK A RUNWAY SIGN CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WINGTIP. THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) WAS GIVING AEROBATIC INSTRUCTION TO A STUDENT FROM THE COLLAGE?S AEROBATIC TEAM. THE WEATHER WAS VFR WITH VARIABLE WINDS AT 3 KNOTS. RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT, THE PIC CHOSE TO LAND ON RUNWAY 28 FOR THE SHORTER TAXI DISTANCE. THE PIC PERFORMED THE LANDING AND LANDED SLIGHTLY LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE OF THE RUNWAY WITH A DRIFT TO THE RIGHT. THE PIC APPLIED CONTROL INPUTS TO CORRECT THE DRIFT, HOWEVER THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO THE RIGHT. SHE RECOGNIZED THAT OVER-CORRECTION COULD CAUSE A GROUND LOOP. THE PIC ELECTED TO CONTINUE MINOR CORRECTIONS BUT THE LEFT WHEEL DEPARTED THE PAVED SURFACE OF THE RUNWAY CAUSING THE RIGHT WING TIP TO CONTACT A RUNWAY SIGN. THE PIC RETURNED TO THE RUNWAY SURFACE AND TAXIED BACK TO THE HANGAR. POST FLIGHT REVILED IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT LOWER WING TIP. THE PIC STATED THAT A SMALL GUST OF WIND HIT BEFORE TOUCHDOWN AND SHE UNDERESTIMATED THE AMOUNT OF CORRECTION REQUIRED. SHE STATED THAT SHE DID NOT WANT TO GROUND LOOP THE AIRPLANE SO SHE INPUT SMALL CORRECTIONS WHICH PREVENTED THE GROUND LOOP BUT CAUSED A SLIGHT OFF PAVEMENT ROLL OUT BEFORE RETURNING TO THE RUNWAY. WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT WAS WINDS VARIABLE AT 3 KNOTS WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 20 CENTIGRADE.