20240804009539A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Fairbanks, AK · August 4, 2024

Date
August 4, 2024 · 23:58 local
Place
Fairbanks, AK
Airport
Fairbanks International
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
WVBA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N9FW
Reported as
Piper PA-31-350
People aboard
8
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
645 total151 in this make and model138 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.

Air traffic control requested the pilot make a short approach to runway 2R at Fairbanks International Airport. It was dark and late in the day making the runway surface hard to see other than the runway edge lights. The pilot made a power off approach with full flaps. The aircraft decended rapidly and impacted the runway bending the left outboard wing and aileron. When the aircraft impacted then bounced and became airborne the pilot added power to go around. He then realized the aileron control was compromised and landed straight ahead on the gravel airstrip immediately beyond the end of runway 2R.

As the FAA filed it

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL REQUESTED THE PILOT MAKE A SHORT APPROACH TO RUNWAY 2R AT FAIRBANKS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. IT WAS DARK AND LATE IN THE DAY MAKING THE RUNWAY SURFACE HARD TO SEE OTHER THAN THE RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS. THE PILOT MADE A POWER OFF APPROACH WITH FULL FLAPS. THE AIRCRAFT DECENDED RAPIDLY AND IMPACTED THE RUNWAY BENDING THE LEFT OUTBOARD WING AND AILERON. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THEN BOUNCED AND BECAME AIRBORNE THE PILOT ADDED POWER TO GO AROUND. HE THEN REALIZED THE AILERON CONTROL WAS COMPROMISED AND LANDED STRAIGHT AHEAD ON THE GRAVEL AIRSTRIP IMMEDIATELY BEYOND THE END OF RUNWAY 2R.

Other reports on N9FW · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.