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20240526006489I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-18-150 · Pandale, TX · May 26, 2024

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 26, 2024 · 11:30 local
Place
Pandale, TX
Airport
Hacienda Rio Lindo Ranch
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N83455
Reported as
Piper PA-18-150
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
7,570 total
N83455Registered now · Piper PA-18-150S/N 18-7609141 · Built 1976Airframe modelPiper PA-18-150

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 stated they took off from a private small air strip east of eola, Texas. Pilot then proceeded to ozona municipal airport (oza). Pilot landed and topped off the fuel at oza. Pilot then proceeed to Hacienda Rio Lindo Ranch Airport (79XA). During flight enroute to 79XA, pilot stated they were flying above the canyons sight seeing and decided to start a shallow decent into the canyon to follow the pexos river northbound. Pilot stated at this point they had the engine power setting at idle and noticed the winds were gusty, but manageable. As the aircraft reached a lower altitude, pilot noticed a downdraft and immediately move the engine throttle control to increase power to prevent aircraft from stalling. Pilot states that after applying more power to the engine, the engine did not respond like it usually did and believed they lost too much altitude. Pilot decided to take advantage of landing on a gravel sand bar. Once below the tree line, the aircraft lost lift and the pilot stated they could not make the targeted landing area. The aircraft precided to overshoot the target and landed long into the river. After landing the aircraft went nose over. Pilot and passenger were able to egress without injury.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THEY TOOK OFF FROM A PRIVATE SMALL AIR STRIP EAST OF EOLA, TEXAS. PILOT THEN PROCEEDED TO OZONA MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (OZA). PILOT LANDED AND TOPPED OFF THE FUEL AT OZA. PILOT THEN PROCEEED TO HACIENDA RIO LINDO RANCH AIRPORT (79XA). DURING FLIGHT ENROUTE TO 79XA, PILOT STATED THEY WERE FLYING ABOVE THE CANYONS SIGHT SEEING AND DECIDED TO START A SHALLOW DECENT INTO THE CANYON TO FOLLOW THE PEXOS RIVER NORTHBOUND. PILOT STATED AT THIS POINT THEY HAD THE ENGINE POWER SETTING AT IDLE AND NOTICED THE WINDS WERE GUSTY, BUT MANAGEABLE. AS THE AIRCRAFT REACHED A LOWER ALTITUDE, PILOT NOTICED A DOWNDRAFT AND IMMEDIATELY MOVE THE ENGINE THROTTLE CONTROL TO INCREASE POWER TO PREVENT AIRCRAFT FROM STALLING. PILOT STATES THAT AFTER APPLYING MORE POWER TO THE ENGINE, THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND LIKE IT USUALLY DID AND BELIEVED THEY LOST TOO MUCH ALTITUDE. PILOT DECIDED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LANDING ON A GRAVEL SAND BAR. ONCE BELOW THE TREE LINE, THE AIRCRAFT LOST LIFT AND THE PILOT STATED THEY COULD NOT MAKE THE TARGETED LANDING AREA. THE AIRCRAFT PRECIDED TO OVERSHOOT THE TARGET AND LANDED LONG INTO THE RIVER. AFTER LANDING THE AIRCRAFT WENT NOSE OVER. PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE ABLE TO EGRESS WITHOUT INJURY.