- Date
- June 5, 2001, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hampton, NH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N877CGGraham Acro Sport
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 2, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20010605015959A
- Case key
- 52398
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
A soft area in the turf runway, which resulted in a loss of directional control during the landing rollout.
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
The pilot landed on a turf runway. Shortly thereafter, the airplane encountered a soft area of recently-spread loam and began to veer to the left. The pilot was unable to correct before the airplane's landing folded, and the right wing contacted the ground. The pilot stated he experienced no mechanical problems with the airplane. According to the airport manager, about 2 inches of topsoil mixed with grass seed had been applied to the runway about a month prior to the accident. The manager added that the runway was soft due to recent precipitation.
Factual narrative
On June 5, 2001, about 1000 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Acro Sport, N877CG, was substantially damaged while landing at the Hampton Airport (7B3), Hampton, New Hampshire. The certificated airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The airplane was landing on runway 02, a 2,100-foot long, 170-foot wide, turf runway.
In a written statement, the pilot said he performed a normal crosswind touchdown on the left main landing gear and as the airplane slowed, the right main landing gear lowered to the ground. Shortly thereafter, the airplane encountered a soft area of recently spread loam and began to veer to the left. The airplane was still in a two point attitude. The pilot immediately corrected with full right rudder and brake; however he felt "only minor force acting to correct the extreme rapid condition."
The airplane's landing gear began to fold, and the right wing contacted the ground.
The pilot stated he experienced no mechanical problems with the airplane.
According to the airport manager, about 2 inches of topsoil mixed with grass seed had been applied to the runway about a month prior to the accident. The manager added that the runway was soft due to recent precipitation. Additionally, a pilot who landed on the runway about a week prior to the accident reported he also experienced a "hard pull to one side" in the same area as the accident airplane.
The winds reported at an airport about 8 miles north of Hampton Airport, about the time of the accident, were from 280 degrees at 9 knots, and variable between 260 and 330 degrees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N877CG
- Reported as
- Graham Acro Sport
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 877
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John J. Carrol
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 2001 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Auburn, NH
- Destination
- 7B3 · Hampton, NH
- Airport
- 7B3 · Hampton Airfield, runway 02, 1,200 × 170 ft, dirt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- September 14, 2000
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,880 total · 147 in this make and model · 6,826 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- PSM, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.