# NTSB LAX07CA013: Aviat A-1A, N40AW, Woodlake, CA, October 7, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: October 6, 2006, 17:00 local (Oct 7, 2006, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Woodlake, CA - Coordinates: 35.7, -118.550003 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.7000&lon=-118.5500&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report January 31, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 64729 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX07CA013 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/64729/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA013 ## Probable cause the collapse of the landing gear during the landing roll out due to an encounter with rough uneven terrain. Also causal was the pilot's in-flight decision to land on the unsuitable mountainous uneven terrain with hidden obstructions. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - mountainous/hilly - terrain condition - rough/uneven (cause) - terrain condition - hidden obstruction(s) - in-flight planning/decision - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected, pilot in command (cause) - Main gear collapsed, landing - roll ## Analysis During the landing rollout, the left main landing gear wheel dropped into a hole and the landing gear collapsed, which caused structural damage to the left wing and fuselage of the airplane. The pilot said he was flying in a mountain area looking for spots to conduct a ground training exercise for a group with which he is associated. The pilot decided to land. The landing area chosen by the pilot was a meadow on top of a mountain, with 2-foot-tall grass that masked the roughness of the terrain and holes that were in the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On October 6, 2006, about 1700 Pacific daylight time, an Aviat Aircraft Inc, A-1A (Husky), N40AW, had the left landing gear collapse during the landing rollout on uneven mountainous terrain on Red Mountain near Woodlake, California. The owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot, the sole occupant, borrowed the airplane for the personal flight, and was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area flight that departed Visalia Municipal Airport (VIS), Visalia, California, about 1630, with the accident site as the intended destination. The global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the accident site were 35 degrees 42 minutes north latitude and 118 degrees 33 minutes west longitude. In the pilot's written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board, the pilot reported that he was flying around the foothills looking for waypoints for an upcoming flight training exercise. He landed on a meadow on Red Mountain. During the landing rollout the left main landing gear hit a hole and collapsed. The left wing struck the ground, the airplane rotated about 20 degrees to the left, and the propeller struck the ground. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing and the left side of the fuselage near the landing gear. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards District Office, Fresno, California, was notified of the incident on October 13, 2006. An FAA airworthiness inspector responded to the site on October 19, 2006, and determined there was structural damage to the airplane. According to the FAA inspector, the landing was done on an upslope, and 2-foot-tall grass surrounded the area . The Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) was notified about the damage to the airplane on October 20, 2006, and upgraded the incident to an accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N40AW](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N40AW), registered now, S/N 1452, built 1999 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Aviat A-1A - Registry model: [Aviat A-1A](https://openairdocs.org/model/aviat-a-1a) (registry code 2210405) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1452 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Departed: VIS, Visalia, CA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 68; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine sea, single-engine sea, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2; flight hours: 36,000 total, 800 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Observed at: VIS ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20061006024679A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20061006024679A), Oct 6, 2006: Aviat A1A, Altra Sierra, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot stated he was landing in a meadow on red mountain when his left main dropped into a hole causing the accident. The left main gear was bent back;… ## Other investigations on N40AW (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX04LA297](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA297), Apr 20, 2004: Aviat A-1A (N40AW), Visalia, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed on final approach, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and a hard landing. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.