20240407012949I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Randy A Wollen ZENITH CH 750 · Burlington, WA · April 7, 2024

Date
April 7, 2024 · 13:28 local
Place
Burlington, WA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7977P
Reported as
Randy A Wollen Zenith CH 750
Reported engine
Continental O-200-D
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot

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.

Pilot was operating aircraft privacy data omitted a a flight review. Review was complete and on return flight tp harvey field, pilot attempted to land on a gravel bar in the middle of the skagit river on which the pilot stated he had landed on may times before. On approach to the gravel bar, the wind gust changed from off the nose to a strong tailwind which caused the aircraft to lose all lift and a hard landing on the gravel bar causing the nose gear to collapse/bend

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS OPERATING AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A A FLIGHT REVIEW. REVIEW WAS COMPLETE AND ON RETURN FLIGHT TP HARVEY FIELD, PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON A GRAVEL BAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKAGIT RIVER ON WHICH THE PILOT STATED HE HAD LANDED ON MAY TIMES BEFORE. ON APPROACH TO THE GRAVEL BAR, THE WIND GUST CHANGED FROM OFF THE NOSE TO A STRONG TAILWIND WHICH CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO LOSE ALL LIFT AND A HARD LANDING ON THE GRAVEL BAR CAUSING THE NOSE GEAR TO COLLAPSE/BEND