SEA98LA129

The pilot stated that he arrived in the vicinity of his airstrip and elected to make an approach from the east. He stated that 'he established on the glide slope and made a stable descent. To ensure clearing a fence that had been erected at the very edge of the airstrip that penetrates approximately 4 feet into the 20 to 1 glide slope I held power a couple of seconds longer than usual. Just at the point of touchdown I withdrew the flaps and had landed hard on the main wheels and had a rise of 3 to 4 feet. The second contact was also on the mains with less rise-approx[imately] 2 feet. Final contact with the ground was on the nose gear. At that time the aircraft was moving very slowly and the nosewheel did not collapse quickly-rather it gently folded under the plane and the plane stopped forward motion in approx[imately] 10 feet.' The pilot noted that he had made over 950 landings at the airstrip in twenty years.

On July 7, 1998, at 1601 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150, N6417T, registered to and being flown by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when the aircraft landed hard and bounced down the runway at Nielsen Airport, Oregon City, Oregon, collapsing the nose landing gear. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane and reportedly the owner of the airstrip, was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal, was to have been operated under 14CFR91, and originated at Tacoma Narrows airport, Tacoma, Washington, approximately 1440.

The pilot stated that he arrived in the vicinity of his airstrip and elected to make an approach from the east. He stated that "he () established on the glide slope and made a stable descent. To ensure clearing a fence that had been erected at the very edge of the airstrip that penetrates approximately 4 feet into the 20 to 1 glide slope I held power a couple of seconds longer than usual. Just at the point of touchdown I withdrew the flaps and had landed hard on the main wheels and had a rise of 3 to 4 feet. The second contact was also on the mains with less rise-approx(imately) 2 feet. Final contact with the ground was on the nose gear. At that time the aircraft was moving very slowly and the nosewheel did not collapse quickly - rather it gently folded under the plane and the plane stopped forward motion in approx(imately) 10 feet."

The pilot noted that he had made over 950 landings at the airstrip in twenty years. He also stated that "the fence is a blatant airport safety hazard and the owners were well aware of it when they did it."

According to data from the FAA's Airport Safety Data Program (5010) for the Nielsen Airport, dated 12/03/98, the airstrip is equipped with a single turf runway (9/27) measuring 1,150 feet in length and 50 feet in width. The fence described by the pilot/owner is not referenced in this data.

Additionally, the fence would penetrate the 20:1 approach clearance plane, which, according to Federal Air Regulation 77.25 begins at the end of the turf runway and extends outward 5,000 feet.