Narrative:

After being contacted by a customer of the oil company, with a request to fly her party to an unpublished private air field at orchard ranch near avenal, ca, I contacted my director of operations to ascertain whether operating into a private airport was a permitted operation, both in the eyes of the FAA and our insurance carrier. He told me that we were not restr to public use airports, and that this operation was permitted as long as the runway was paved. The customer assured me that it was and provided me with a survey map which showed the exact location, elevation (697'), orientation (01-19), and approximately dimensions of the runway (3000' X 20'), and told me that there were going to be other parties arriving by aircraft for the event she was attending. Using the grid coordinates for the survey map, I determined the latitude and longitude of the runway and programmed them into the aircraft's LORAN receiver. The trip proceeded uneventfully. Arriving over the area in a.M. In VFR conditions, I located the runway by close comparison of surface features to the survey map, made 3 passes over the runway to inspect its condition, each time at a lower altitude. My last pass was at 500' AGL, and revealed a paved runway that appeared to be smooth, with power lines obstructing the south end. Dust raised by moving vehs in the vicinity indicated that the winds were at most lights and variable. While I was making my third pass, an aircraft plted by X arrived and landed to the south. His T/D and rollout appeared normal, and by observing his aircraft from above, I deduced that the runway width was suitable for my aircraft. I made several attempts to contact him on multicom (122.9) to discuss field conditions, but he did not respond. Final approach speed was 100 KTS, and I touched down in the first 200' of the runway. As the aircraft was decelerating through about 50 KTS, the left main wheel hit a pile of silt that had been deposited on the runway be recent dust storms, but which had not been visible from the air. The drag of the silt pile caused the aircraft to slew left and dragged the left wheel off the runway. I was able to bring the aircraft parallel to the runway, but could not get the wheel back up over the crowned edge, even with differential power. The left wheel then hit either a soft spot or some vegetation, and the aircraft slewed hard left and departed the runway. At this point, I secured the engines by retarding the mixtures to idle cutoff. The ground at the side of the runway was flat, but soft, and the left wheel sank further into the dirt, causing the left landing gear to separate. By now the aircraft speed was little more than a brisk walk. The left wing tip settled to the ground, the left propeller tips struck the ground (with the propeller winmilling at idle cutoff), and the aircraft came to a stop. There were no injuries and there was no fire. Other than the damage described above, there was no other visible damage to the aircraft. The aircraft was left locked, fuel off, and all electrical systems secured. The owner of the property on which the aircraft is located promised to guard it until arrangements could be made to move it.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RWY CONDITION SURFACE ROUGHNESS CREATED BY DRIFTING SAND IS CITED AS CAUSE FOR RWY EXCURSION IN LNDG PROC ON A PVT ARPT.

Narrative: AFTER BEING CONTACTED BY A CUSTOMER OF THE OIL COMPANY, WITH A REQUEST TO FLY HER PARTY TO AN UNPUBLISHED PVT AIR FIELD AT ORCHARD RANCH NEAR AVENAL, CA, I CONTACTED MY DIRECTOR OF OPS TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER OPERATING INTO A PVT ARPT WAS A PERMITTED OPERATION, BOTH IN THE EYES OF THE FAA AND OUR INSURANCE CARRIER. HE TOLD ME THAT WE WERE NOT RESTR TO PUBLIC USE ARPTS, AND THAT THIS OPERATION WAS PERMITTED AS LONG AS THE RWY WAS PAVED. THE CUSTOMER ASSURED ME THAT IT WAS AND PROVIDED ME WITH A SURVEY MAP WHICH SHOWED THE EXACT LOCATION, ELEVATION (697'), ORIENTATION (01-19), AND APPROX DIMENSIONS OF THE RWY (3000' X 20'), AND TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE GOING TO BE OTHER PARTIES ARRIVING BY ACFT FOR THE EVENT SHE WAS ATTENDING. USING THE GRID COORDINATES FOR THE SURVEY MAP, I DETERMINED THE LAT AND LONGITUDE OF THE RWY AND PROGRAMMED THEM INTO THE ACFT'S LORAN RECEIVER. THE TRIP PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY. ARRIVING OVER THE AREA IN A.M. IN VFR CONDITIONS, I LOCATED THE RWY BY CLOSE COMPARISON OF SURFACE FEATURES TO THE SURVEY MAP, MADE 3 PASSES OVER THE RWY TO INSPECT ITS CONDITION, EACH TIME AT A LOWER ALT. MY LAST PASS WAS AT 500' AGL, AND REVEALED A PAVED RWY THAT APPEARED TO BE SMOOTH, WITH PWR LINES OBSTRUCTING THE S END. DUST RAISED BY MOVING VEHS IN THE VICINITY INDICATED THAT THE WINDS WERE AT MOST LIGHTS AND VARIABLE. WHILE I WAS MAKING MY THIRD PASS, AN ACFT PLTED BY X ARRIVED AND LANDED TO THE S. HIS T/D AND ROLLOUT APPEARED NORMAL, AND BY OBSERVING HIS ACFT FROM ABOVE, I DEDUCED THAT THE RWY WIDTH WAS SUITABLE FOR MY ACFT. I MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT HIM ON MULTICOM (122.9) TO DISCUSS FIELD CONDITIONS, BUT HE DID NOT RESPOND. FINAL APCH SPD WAS 100 KTS, AND I TOUCHED DOWN IN THE FIRST 200' OF THE RWY. AS THE ACFT WAS DECELERATING THROUGH ABOUT 50 KTS, THE LEFT MAIN WHEEL HIT A PILE OF SILT THAT HAD BEEN DEPOSITED ON THE RWY BE RECENT DUST STORMS, BUT WHICH HAD NOT BEEN VISIBLE FROM THE AIR. THE DRAG OF THE SILT PILE CAUSED THE ACFT TO SLEW LEFT AND DRAGGED THE LEFT WHEEL OFF THE RWY. I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE ACFT PARALLEL TO THE RWY, BUT COULD NOT GET THE WHEEL BACK UP OVER THE CROWNED EDGE, EVEN WITH DIFFERENTIAL PWR. THE LEFT WHEEL THEN HIT EITHER A SOFT SPOT OR SOME VEGETATION, AND THE ACFT SLEWED HARD LEFT AND DEPARTED THE RWY. AT THIS POINT, I SECURED THE ENGS BY RETARDING THE MIXTURES TO IDLE CUTOFF. THE GND AT THE SIDE OF THE RWY WAS FLAT, BUT SOFT, AND THE LEFT WHEEL SANK FURTHER INTO THE DIRT, CAUSING THE LEFT LNDG GEAR TO SEPARATE. BY NOW THE ACFT SPD WAS LITTLE MORE THAN A BRISK WALK. THE LEFT WING TIP SETTLED TO THE GND, THE LEFT PROP TIPS STRUCK THE GND (WITH THE PROP WINMILLING AT IDLE CUTOFF), AND THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THERE WAS NO FIRE. OTHER THAN THE DAMAGE DESCRIBED ABOVE, THERE WAS NO OTHER VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS LEFT LOCKED, FUEL OFF, AND ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS SECURED. THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY ON WHICH THE ACFT IS LOCATED PROMISED TO GUARD IT UNTIL ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE MADE TO MOVE IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.