What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot stated that he had not originally planned to land at Birchwood Airport, but he saw the weather conditions there looked VFR. He was attempting to land at Birchwood Airport and misjudged the aircraft height above the surface due to lighting conditions combined with snow and sky conditions creating "flat light." The pilot stated he touched down hard on the runway and over applied the brakes causing the aircraft to tip forward and strike the propeller and engine cowl on the ground. He shut down all aircraft systems and exited the aircraft. Damage to the aircraft was minor and limited to the propeller, propeller spinner, engine cowl, and landing gear. While attempting to push the aircraft off of the runway, ASI privacy data omitted saw him from the ramp area and offered to assist him in moving the aircraft. The pilot stated that he would have normally performed a go-around, but although the airport was VFR at the time, there was less than VFR conditions just beyond the departure end of the runway. Pilot was counseled on aeronautical decision making with emphasis on considering all factors of an airport environment before committing to a landing, to include options if approach and landing can't be continued.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD NOT ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO LAND AT BIRCHWOOD AIRPORT, BUT HE SAW THE WEATHER CONDITIONS THERE LOOKED VFR. HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT BIRCHWOOD AIRPORT AND MISJUDGED THE AIRCRAFT HEIGHT ABOVE THE SURFACE DUE TO LIGHTING CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH SNOW AND SKY CONDITIONS CREATING "FLAT LIGHT." THE PILOT STATED HE TOUCHED DOWN HARD ON THE RUNWAY AND OVER APPLIED THE BRAKES CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO TIP FORWARD AND STRIKE THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE COWL ON THE GROUND. HE SHUT DOWN ALL AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS MINOR AND LIMITED TO THE PROPELLER, PROPELLER SPINNER, ENGINE COWL, AND LANDING GEAR. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PUSH THE AIRCRAFT OFF OF THE RUNWAY, ASI ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAW HIM FROM THE RAMP AREA AND OFFERED TO ASSIST HIM IN MOVING THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WOULD HAVE NORMALLY PERFORMED A GO-AROUND, BUT ALTHOUGH THE AIRPORT WAS VFR AT THE TIME, THERE WAS LESS THAN VFR CONDITIONS JUST BEYOND THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. PILOT WAS COUNSELED ON AERONAUTICAL DECISION MAKING WITH EMPHASIS ON CONSIDERING ALL FACTORS OF AN AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT BEFORE COMMITTING TO A LANDING, TO INCLUDE OPTIONS IF APPROACH AND LANDING CAN'T BE CONTINUED.
Other reports on N1544A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.