N535TA problem correction status

H. Paul Shuch is a Light Sport Repairman with Maintenance ratings for airplanes, gliders, weight shift control, and powered parachutes, as well as an independent Rotax Maintenance Technician at the Heavy Maintenance level. He holds a PhD in Air Transportation Engineering from the University of California, and serves as Director of Maintenance for AvSport of Lock Haven.

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FastEddieB
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Re: N535TA problem correction status

Post by FastEddieB »

theskunk wrote:I seem to do the 'fly the airplane to the ground' and actually started my training in an SR22T, with the intent to buy.

I've now logged time in high and low wings, and the 'fly the airplane to the runway' approach works fine for me in both.
I just posted this to the CT site - these are all recent Cirrus landing accidents that someone on COPA compiled:

#1 - ON AUGUST 17, 2012, AT 1213 PM, N855CD, A CIRRUS SR 20 OPERATING PART 91 VFR, LANDED ON RUNWAY 23 AT MYRTLE BEACH, SC, AT THE GRAND STRAND (CRE) AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AND BEGAN TO PORPOISE AS IT SLOWED TO EXIT THE RUNWAY CAUSING A PROPELLER STRIKE TO ALL THREE BLADES. THERE WAS ONE SOUL ON BOARD WITH NO INJURIES. THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT IS MINOR. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS ON HIS SECOND LEG OF HIS SOLO LONG CROSS COUNTRY. HIS ROUTE WAS KJQF-KFLO-KCRE-KJQF. HE TOOK OFF FROM KFLO GOING TO KCRE AFTER COMPLETING HIS FIRST LEG. HE CAME INTO KCRE AND HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE FIELD. HE MADE A 45 DEGREE ENTRY INTO THE RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 23 AS PER INSTRUCTIONS. HE MADE A NORMAL APPROACH TO LANDING AND AS HE CAME CLOSE TO TOUCHDOWN THE NOSE ABRUPTLY DROPPED AND MADE CONTACT. THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO PORPOISE...

#2 - MONROE COUNTY AIRPORT TWR RECORDED AN AIRCRAFT DAMAGED DURING LANDING AT 1504L ON 2/1/2013. THE AIRCRAFT WAS N586PU, A CIRRUS SR20 THAT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 24 RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING AND DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR AND A PROP STRIKE. THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS A STUDENT PILOT ON A VFR SOLO CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT AND WAS UNINJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO THE RAMP OF THE LOCAL FBO.

#3 - DURING FINAL APPROACH TO LANDING THE NOSE WHEEL CONTACTED THE RUNWAY FIRST CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO START PORPOISING. ON THE THIRD BOUNCE THE NOSE WHEEL BROKE OFF AND THE PROPELLER CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN GRASS OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY MIDFIELD.

#4 - AIRCRAFT BOUNCED/PORPOISED UPON LANDING. DAMAGE TO RIGHT FLAP AND ALL PROPELLER BLADES.

#5 - AFTER A BOUNCED LANDING ON RUNWAY 31 AT KHIO, THE PILOT IN COMMAND ATTEMPTED A REJECTED LANDING OF HIS CIRRUS SR22. THE RESULT WAS THAT THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED OVER THE INFIELD, IMPACTED THE GROUND, AND SHEARED OFF ITS LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE CIRRUS SR22 CAME TO REST SOUTH OF TAXIWAY A APPROXIMATELY 2,500 FEET FROM THE INITIAL CONTACT POINT ON RUNWAY 31.

All except maybe the second one involved extra kinetic energy on landing. IOW, planes "flown to the runway". A PLANE LANDED IN A FULL STALL CANNOT BOUNCE".*

Land with the stick all the way back in a full stall as the plane either smoothly touches down or "plotzes" on the runway, and it will NOT bounce.

I will probably have another post concerning "A Tale Of Two Landing Accidents" to follow.

I'm planning to take Paul's offer of heading to his place for my BFR and learn how to do a full stall, just to add it to my list. :)
Most excellent. Approach them with an open mind and you may just find you prefer them as SOP.


**Barring a sudden gust lifting you up, but full stalls are not indicated on gusty days anyway.
Fast Eddie B.
Sky Arrow 600 E-LSA • N467SA
CFI, CFII, CFIME
[email protected]
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gmohr
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Re: N535TA problem correction status

Post by gmohr »

I own and fly an EAB Arion Lightning. A really nice low wing with fun flying characteristics. It can be a handful
if you have not had proper transition training. Of the recommended 10hrs of transition training 50% was spent on
approach and landing. My aircraft has an approach speed of 52kts whether with 25 of flaps or not then just let it
land. Practice, practice, practice and you have nice smooth landings whether it my Lightning. I used to have
more trouble landing the Remos G3 I used to co-own than my Lightning as it, IMHO, floated more than the Lightning.
Gene Mohr
Sport Pilot Upgrading to Private
180hrs and counting
ct4me
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Re: N535TA problem correction status

Post by ct4me »

The lightning sounds like it could be a handful... a friend, who's flown for 30 years, including LSAs, has had two serious landing "incidents"... requiring major work.
Tim
-----
check out CTFlier.com
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drseti
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Re: N535TA problem correction status

Post by drseti »

gmohr wrote: It can be a handful if you have not had proper transition training.
This is true of pretty much any LSA (which is why the FAA puts so much emphasis on transition training).
My aircraft has an approach speed of 52kts
That sounds quite reasonable. The old rule of thumb (approach at 1.3 times stall speed) seems to hold well for all the LSAs I've flown. If your stall speed is 40 KCAS, that would certainly indicate approaching at 52. My SportStar stalls at 45 KCAS (not coincidentally, the LSA limit) at 600 kg gross. So, approach speed should be 58.5 knots. (I tell my students to round off, and use 60). That happens to be really close to optimum glide speed (useful on the event of an engine failure), as well as the normal climbout speed - exactly midway between Vx and Vy (a good speed to be at in the event of a go-around).
The opinions posted are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof H Paul Shuch
PhD CFII DPE LSRM-A/GL/WS/PPC iRMT
AvSport LLC, KLHV
[email protected]
AvSport.org
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