LAX04LA297

The airplane landed hard, ground looped, and collided with a parked airplane. The pilot was landing on an unimproved, unauthorized area of the airport. During final approach, an airplane taxied in front of him and presented a potential conflict. According to a witness, the pilot flared the airplane and the right wing dropped, "as though it may have stalled." The right wing impacted the ground and then the airplane returned to a three-point attitude. The airplane then ground looped and impacted an airplane parked on the ramp. Prior to the accident, the airport manager verbally informed the pilot that he was only to use the designated runways as landing areas.

On April 19, 2004, at 1800 Pacific daylight time, an Aviat A-1A (Husky) airplane, N40AW, veered off the landing area and collided with a parked airplane during landing at Visalia Municipal Airport, Visalia, California. The airline transport pilot and one passenger were not injured; both airplanes sustained substantial damage. The pilot was operating the borrowed airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane departed from the Visalia airport at 1700 for the local area pleasure flight.

According the to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot was landing on an unimproved and undesignated area of the airport. While the Husky was on final approach, another airplane taxied across its flight path. When the Husky touched down, it veered from the pilot's intended landing surface and collided with a parked airplane, N8321X, a Piper PA-28RT-201T (Turbo Arrow IV). The Husky sustained substantial damage to the right wing that included crush on the leading edge at the center point of the wing. Additionally, a compression strut located approximately midspan and between the fore and aft wing spars was bent upward and outward at its lower surface. The Arrow's horizontal stabilator, which is attached to the upper portion of the vertical stabilizer, was torn from the empennage.

An FAA inspector was informed of this accident on August 18, 2004, via an anonymous phone call. Witnesses contacted at the airport verified the story as relayed in the phone call. The FAA inspector notified the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) of this accident on August 19, 2004.

In a written statement submitted to the IIC, the pilot reported landing on the grass, adjacent to the taxiway. As he turned the airplane toward his hangar, it struck a parked airplane. The parked airplane was near the grass landing area. The pilot further reported that he could not see the parked airplane over the nose of his tailwheel equipped airplane. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.

The FAA inspector, who had been notified of the accident, interviewed the pilot on August 23, 2004. The pilot reported that he set up for a landing on an unpaved surface between the parallel taxiway for runway 30 and the paved parking ramp. During the landing approach, the pilot observed a multiengine airplane taxiing toward the ramp area. This multiengine airplane became a potential conflict for the pilot. The pilot slowed the airplane and then landed, stopping in about 200 feet. The pilot taxied the airplane and rushed to arrive at the hangar area. As he began taxiing the airplane, the right wing collided with the tail of a parked airplane. After separating the airplanes, the pilot continued taxiing his airplane.

The pilot acknowledged to the inspector that the airport manager had verbally instructed him not to use the grass area for takeoffs and landings. He did not report the accident because he believed it was not a reportable accident.

A witness to the accident, a student pilot, submitted a statement. The witness was attending ground school at a flight school located at the airport. His ground instructor was instructing the class on preflight procedures of a Cessna 172 in the tie-down area. During the instruction, the witness observed a high-wing tailwheel equipped airplane landing parallel to runway 30, about halfway down and to the east of the runway and taxiway. The altitude of the airplane was approximately 100 to 150 feet above ground level (agl). After the airplane passed the witness, his attention returned to the ground school lesson. About 3 to 4 seconds later, the witness heard a loud noise and looked up to see the tailwheel-equipped airplane spinning around to the airplane's left in a cloud of dust. A Piper T-tail parked on the ramp was missing its tail section. The top of the tail was resting on the leading edge of the wing of the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The occupants of the tailwheel-equipped airplane carried the tail back to the Piper, located about 100 feet from where the tailwheel-equipped airplane came to rest.

An additional witness, a private pilot, observed the Husky on downwind for runway 30. He was later surprised to see it on short final, almost overhead at an altitude of 100 feet. The airplane appeared to be lined up for touchdown on a grass area between the taxiway and the paved parking area. As the Husky passed approximately 50 feet over the taxiway, another airplane turned onto the taxiway, in close proximity to the Husky. The Husky appeared to flare and the right wing dropped "as though it may have stalled." The wing appeared to hit the ground; the airplane bounced and eventually returned to a three-point attitude, but began to ground loop. As the airplane spun, it collided with the tail section of an airplane tied down adjacent to the grass area. The tail section of the parked airplane was completely sheared off and tangled under the Husky. The Husky occupants removed the tail section and then taxied from the accident scene.