20230113000109I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Woods Steven W SONEX WAIEX · Merced, CA · January 13, 2023

Date: January 13, 2023 · 08:45 local
Place: Merced, CA
Airport: Merced Regional/Macready Fld
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N209SW
Reported as: Woods Steven W Sonex Waiex
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 409 total1 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days

N209SWRegistered now · Woods Steven W SONEX WAIEXS/N W0128 · Built 2013 Airframe modelWoods Steven W SONEX WAIEX Engine modelAeroconver AEROVEEReciprocating

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 January 13, 2023, privacy data omitted an experimental amateur built Sonex Waiex was on it first ever flight with the new owner of the aircraft. The aircraft was operating in the traffic pattern, during the landing phase of the flight the aircraft started to porpoise up and down shortly after touch down causing the aircraft nose gear to collapse, followed by the main right gear to bent and ultimately striking the propeller on the surface. There were no reported injuries to the occupant of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

ON JANUARY 13, 2023, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT SONEX WAIEX WAS ON IT FIRST EVER FLIGHT WITH THE NEW OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, DURING THE LANDING PHASE OF THE FLIGHT THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO PORPOISE UP AND DOWN SHORTLY AFTER TOUCH DOWN CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT NOSE GEAR TO COLLAPSE, FOLLOWED BY THE MAIN RIGHT GEAR TO BENT AND ULTIMATELY STRIKING THE PROPELLER ON THE SURFACE. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT.