- Date
- December 9, 2001, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Comfort, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N61AZHeard RV-6A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20011209035679A
- Case key
- 53894
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the nose landing gear.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Following a bounced initial touchdown, the nose landing gear collapsed during the second touchdown. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the nose landing gear strut failed "due to an excessive aft-ward force occurring on final touchdown location."
Factual narrative
On December 9, 2001, at 1430 central standard time, a Heard RV-6A, experimental homebuilt airplane, N61AZ, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing on runway 32 at the Comfort Airpark Airport, Comfort, Texas. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot received minor injuries, and the passenger received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight departed Sonora, Texas, approximately 1330.
The pilot reported that during the initial touchdown on the grass runway, the airplane bounced. Subsequently, the airplane touched down again, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot stated that the winds were from 300 degrees at 3 to 4 knots.
The FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, stated the nose landing gear strut failed "due to an excessive aft-ward force occurring on final touchdown location." The vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed. The fuselage was wrinkled and the canopy destroyed. The propeller blades were bent. A 5-point restraint system was installed in the airplane.
On the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), in the Recommendation (How could this accident have been prevented) section, the pilot wrote: "redesigned and stronger nose gear assembly."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N61AZ
- Reported as
- Heard RV-6A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 20150
- Airframe hours
- 96
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Henry R. McKay
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 2001 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- E2D · Sonora, TX
- Destination
- 1T5 · Comfort, TX
- Airport
- 1T5 · Comfort Airpark Airport, runway 32, 1,950 × 30 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- September 16, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 435 total · 26 in this make and model · 295 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.