Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Newman Strip Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Firebaugh, California 93622
Friday, July 12, 2002 20:30 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airplane sustained a separated left main landing gear during the takeoff ground roll from a private farm airstrip. After the landing gear separated from the airplane, the airplane veered off of the runway and came to rest in a ditch. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the airplane. He reported that the ear that secures the left main gear strut to the fuselage structure had fractured and separated, allowing the left gear strut to separate from the fuselage. The inspector examined the 30-foot-wide airstrip in the area used by the pilot for the takeoff ground roll. He located a chuck hole in the asphalt pavement that was 15 feet long by 3 feet wide and that had a maximum depth of 3 inches. At the northern end of the chuck hole (closest to the airplane point of rest), a 2.5-inch-deep lip was noted in the hole wall. Marks and transfers consistent with the landing gear and the fuselage contact to the pavement were noted just beyond this chuck hole.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The overload fracture and separation of the left main gear strut assembly due the left landing gear's encounter with a chuck hole in the private airstrip's asphalt pavement. A factor in the accident was the inadequate maintenance of the airstrip's surface.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/12/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 2030 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | Firebaugh |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 93622 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 365100N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1202700W |
| Event Location Airport | Newman Strip |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PVT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 200 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2056 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 110 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | KFAT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 336 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 37 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 20000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Few |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 34 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 15 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 310 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 14 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.79 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 2622 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 14957 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 15 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1228 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 2 2004 8:06AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | WP-FSDO-Fresno, CA |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4020Y |
| NTSB Number | LAX02LA226 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Ayres |
| Aircraft Model | S2R-T34 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | T34-022 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 1 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 157 |
| Airframe Hours | 1542 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Douglas Thiel |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Chowchilla |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 93610 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | T9DG |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Agriculture |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Aerial Application |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | PVT |
| Departure City | Firebaugh |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 2030 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Standing - engine(s) operating |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 21 2003 4:54PM |
| User who most recently changed record | COOS |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NW |
| Runway Length | 2500 |
| Runway Width | 30 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |