PUT-IN-BAY, OH, USA
N5716F
PIPER PA-32R-300
THE PILOT WROTE IN HIS STATEMENT THAT AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE LEFT LANDING GEAR 'FELT FUNNY,' AND THE AIRPLANE PULLED TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT APPLIED FULL POWER, AND THE AIRPLANE 'PULLED...TO THE RIGHT.' THE PILOT BROUGHT THE AIRPLANE TO A STOP BY REDUCING THE POWER, APPLYING THE BRAKES, AND RIGHT RUDDER. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS THE AIRPLANE, 'CAME IN, HOT,' AND TOUCHED DOWN BEFORE THE RUNWAY NUMBERS. THE LEFT WING 'DIPPED LEFT, 20-30 DEGREES,' THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO ABORT THE LANDING BY ADDING POWER TO THE ENGINE. THE LEFT WING DIPPED AND STRUCK A SIGN NEAR THE RUNWAY, WHICH RESULTED IN THE WING SEPARATING, AND CAUSING THE AIRPLANE TO VEER OFF TO THE LEFT. TIRE MARKS SHOWED THAT THE AIRPLANE LANDED ON THE LEFT EDGE OF THE RUNWAY.
On July 2, 1994, about 1145 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA- 32R-300, N5716F, piloted by Mr. Richard Fischer, struck a sign while landing at the Monica Drake Airport, Put-in-Bay, Ohio. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and 5 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was operated under 14 CFR 91. According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, after touchdown, "...[the] left gear felt funny aircraft pulled to the left...." The pilot wrote that he applied full power and the airplane turned to the right, and was heading toward some parked airplanes. To avoid hitting the parked airplanes the pilot applied right rudder, reduced the power to the engine, applied full brakes, and stopped the airplane. A witness to the accident watched N5716F land, and wrote in her statement: The aircraft came in, hot, touched down before the 22#'s on the runway. His left wing dipped left, 20-30 degrees-the pilot applied power, looking as if to abort the landing, and the left wing again dipped down to the left and hit the sign near the runway...the wing separated...the aircraft, on the ground, veered of to the left.... According to the FAA tire marks showed that the airplane landed on the left edge of a 22 feet wide runway. The airplane pulled to the left of the runway, the left wing struck an airport sign, and the left main landing gear collapsed.
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE CONTROL AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WHICH RESULTED IN COLLISION WITH A SIGN.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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