Saturday, November 09, 2019

Diamond DA-40 Diamond Star, N965DS: Incident occurred August 05, 2020 and Accident occurred October 12, 2017 at Falcon Field Airport (KFFZ), Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona

August 05, 2020: Aircraft lost control on landing and struck a runway light. 

CAE Oxford Aviation Academy Phoenix Inc 

https://registry.faa.gov/N965DS

Date: 05-AUG-20
Time: 20:58:00Z
Regis#: N965DS
Aircraft Make: DIAMOND
Aircraft Model: DA40
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: NONE
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: MESA
State: ARIZONA




Technical Log - Maintenance Squawk

View of damage to the wing walk.

View of damage to the right main landing gear attachment mount and composite structure - Image was taken with the tail of the airplane to the right.


View of damage to the right main landing gear attachment mount and airframe structure - Image was taken looking toward the tail of airplane.

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident. 

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Scottsdale, Arizona

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board:  https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
  
Location: Mesa, AZ
Accident Number: GAA18LA062
Date & Time: 10/12/2017, 2140 MST
Registration: N965DS
Aircraft: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Wildlife encounter (non-bird)
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Instructional 

On October 13, 2017, at 0857 mountain standard time (MST), during taxi to parking, a Diamond DA-40 airplane, N965DS, produced an abnormal "squeaking" noise coming from the right main landing gear, at Falcon Field Airport, Mesa, Arizona. The flight instructor and the flight instructor candidate were not injured. The operator believed that the damage was sustained during the prior flight. The airplane was registered to CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, Phoenix, Arizona, and operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, as a visual flight rules, local flight, flight evaluation. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight. The flight originated from Falcon Field Airport at 1450 MST.

The flight instructor conducted the flight to evaluate a flight instructor candidate, who was being considered for employment with the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 141 operated flight school. Following the flight evaluation, they returned to the airport, and heard a noise coming from the right main landing gear area. During the flight two touch-and-go landings were made, followed by a full stop landing. Regardless of the noise, they continued to taxi the airplane to the parking ramp.

The previous evening, a night, visual flight rules cross-country flight was conducted in the accident airplane. On that flight, the pilot reported that the right main landing gear struck a coyote when the airplane touched down. The pilot taxied to parking and called the flight school to inform them of the event. The pilot was connected to one of the flight school's night supervising aviation maintenance technician (AMT), and the flight school's line service technician, and the fleet management supervisor. The pilot informed the staff that no visible damage was observed, and she was instructed to fly the airplane to the home airport. The pilot complied and when she arrived, she was met in the parking area by the flight school's night supervising AMT. The AMT inspected the airplane and observed a patch of hair on the right main landing gear. The coyote strike was not annotated in the airplane's technical logbook, and the airplane remained in service. The pilot completed a Safety Report the night of the coyote strike and emailed the document to the Safety Officer.

The next morning, the airplane was dispatched for flight, but there was no entry in the airplane's technical log as to the events that transpired during the night flight.

The instructor stopped at the dispatch area on his way to the airplane, and he was informed by a dispatcher, of the events that transpired the night before. The instructor did not open the airplane's technical log to see if any discrepancies were entered. The instructor and the instructor candidate inspected the airplane and determined it to be airworthy. The flight check entailed two touch-and-go landings at two different airports, followed by a full stop landing at their home airport. During the taxi to parking the instructor heard a "squeaking" noise coming from the right main landing gear area. They taxied to parking and the airplane was met by the flight school's Safety Officer, and the airplane was removed from service.

During a subsequent damage examination of the right main landing gear area, it was observed that the composite structure connected to the landing gear attachment mount was fractured. 

Check Pilot Information

Certificate: Airline Transport; Flight Instructor
Age: 61, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied:Right 
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Multi-engine; Airplane Single-engine; Instrument Airplane
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 With Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 11/15/2017
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 02/26/2018
Flight Time:  (Estimated) 3650 hours (Total, all aircraft), 1300 hours (Total, this make and model), 3350 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 112 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 31 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 7 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Flight Instructor Information

Certificate: Flight Instructor; Commercial
Age: 25, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s):
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane Multi-engine; Airplane Single-engine; Instrument Airplane
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 1 None
Last FAA Medical Exam: 04/04/2017
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time:  976 hours (Total, all aircraft), 866 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 218 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 85 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 6 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC
Registration: N965DS
Model/Series: DA 40 UNDESIGNATED
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 40.1035
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 10/06/2017, 100 Hour
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2646 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 8086.4 Hours as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: LYCOMING
ELT: C126 installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: IO-360
Registered Owner: CAE OXFORD AVIATION ACADEMY PHOENIX INC
Rated Power: 160 hp
Operator: CAE OXFORD AVIATION ACADEMY PHOENIX INC
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Pilot School (141)

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KFFZ, 1380 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1557 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 328°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility:  40 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 6 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / None
Wind Direction: 30°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / -1°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: MESA, AZ (FFZ)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: MESA, CA (KFFZ)
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 0750 MST
Type of Airspace: Class D

Airport Information

Airport: Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (IWA)
Runway Surface Type: Concrete
Airport Elevation: 1383 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Dry
Runway Used: 30R
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width: 9300 ft / 150 ft
VFR Approach/Landing: Stop and Go; Traffic Pattern

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 2 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 33.307778, -111.655556 (est)

1 comment: