20230518005989I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-180 · Navasota, TX · May 18, 2023

Date
May 18, 2023 · 19:00 local
Place
Navasota, TX
Airport
Navasota Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6548J
Reported as
Piper PA-28-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
207 total14 in this make and model47 in the last 90 days

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.

Aircraft, with two persons on board (CFI and student pilot), departed david wayne hooks memorial airport (dwh), tomball, TX, enroute Navasota Municipal Airport (60R), Navasota, TX, for the purpose of flight instruction. The student pilot, with CFI in the right seat, conducted four touch-and-go landings, with the fourth landing coming to full stop to allow the CFI to depart the aircraft so the student pilot could conduct the solo portion of the flight. The student pilot successfully performed two touch-and-go landings. On the third landing the aircraft veered to the right and departed runway 35. The aircraft travelled through the grass, down an embankment, and came to rest upright in a ditch. The uninjured student pilot secured power to the aircraft and egressed. CFI contacted the flight school to report the incident. An officer from Navasota police department and an officer from Texas department of public safety, along with a flight school representative, arrived on-scene. The aircraft was removed from the ditch and parked on the ramp of Navasota Municipal Airport. The aircraft sustained the following damage: nose wheel assembly sheared from nose landing gear strut, one of two propeller blades impacted surface resulting in one bent propeller blade and sudden stoppage of engine, cracks in propeller spinner, engine exhaust pipes bent aft, lower engine fairing bent/deformed/scraped, and clear lens of left wing position light cracked due to impact with ground.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT, WITH TWO PERSONS ON BOARD (CFI AND STUDENT PILOT), DEPARTED DAVID WAYNE HOOKS MEMORIAL AIRPORT (DWH), TOMBALL, TX, ENROUTE NAVASOTA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (60R), NAVASOTA, TX, FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTION. THE STUDENT PILOT, WITH CFI IN THE RIGHT SEAT, CONDUCTED FOUR TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS, WITH THE FOURTH LANDING COMING TO FULL STOP TO ALLOW THE CFI TO DEPART THE AIRCRAFT SO THE STUDENT PILOT COULD CONDUCT THE SOLO PORTION OF THE FLIGHT. THE STUDENT PILOT SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMED TWO TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS. ON THE THIRD LANDING THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND DEPARTED RUNWAY 35. THE AIRCRAFT TRAVELLED THROUGH THE GRASS, DOWN AN EMBANKMENT, AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN A DITCH. THE UNINJURED STUDENT PILOT SECURED POWER TO THE AIRCRAFT AND EGRESSED. CFI CONTACTED THE FLIGHT SCHOOL TO REPORT THE INCIDENT. AN OFFICER FROM NAVASOTA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND AN OFFICER FROM TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, ALONG WITH A FLIGHT SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE, ARRIVED ON-SCENE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE DITCH AND PARKED ON THE RAMP OF NAVASOTA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED THE FOLLOWING DAMAGE: NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY SHEARED FROM NOSE LANDING GEAR STRUT, ONE OF TWO PROPELLER BLADES IMPACTED SURFACE RESULTING IN ONE BENT PROPELLER BLADE AND SUDDEN STOPPAGE OF ENGINE, CRACKS IN PROPELLER SPINNER, ENGINE EXHAUST PIPES BENT AFT, LOWER ENGINE FAIRING BENT/DEFORMED/SCRAPED, AND CLEAR LENS OF LEFT WING POSITION LIGHT CRACKED DUE TO IMPACT WITH GROUND.