37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 367697 |
Time | |
Date | 199704 |
Day | Tue |
Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | airport : ctj |
State Reference | GA |
Altitude | msl bound lower : 6000 msl bound upper : 6000 |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | IMC |
Light | Daylight |
Aircraft 1 | |
Controlling Facilities | artcc : ztl |
Operator | general aviation : personal |
Make Model Name | Bonanza 35 |
Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
Flight Phase | cruise other |
Flight Plan | IFR |
Person 1 | |
Affiliation | Other |
Function | flight crew : single pilot |
Qualification | pilot : private |
Experience | flight time last 90 days : 12 flight time total : 760 flight time type : 317 |
ASRS Report | 367697 |
Person 2 | |
Affiliation | Other |
Function | observation : passenger |
Qualification | other other : other |
Events | |
Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other spatial deviation |
Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa |
Resolutory Action | controller : issued new clearance flight crew : declared emergency |
Consequence | faa : reviewed incident with flight crew other |
Supplementary | |
Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Narrative:
IFR with ZTL 6000 ft cruise clouds (overcast) below at approximately 4000 ft propeller governor failed to high pitch low RPM resulting in no thrust. Was able to glide 13 mi to ctj and make landing with help of ATC. Barely made field. Left wing stalled over runway scraping concrete. No one hurt. Passenger wife was calm and helped by reading altitudes. ATC provided heading LORAN was set but relied on ATC. I leveled at 6000 ft, rough leaned the engine to 14 gals per min, did my cruise check, and engaged the autoplt. I was assigned a heading appropriate to hefin intersection and then cleared direct to mgm. I was clear of the clouds. It was bright and clear above and overcast below. All engine instruments were normal. I had a cruise setting of 23 inches of manifold pressure and 2300 RPM. I had started a turn to the left toward mgm when suddenly the engine dropped RPM very quickly. My wife said 'oh my god.' engine RPM dropped to 700. I initially thought the engine was going to stop altogether. I called 'mayday emergency' several times. In the meantime, I checked the ignition, increased the mixture to full, put on the booster pump. Nothing helped. 700 RPM. I pushed the propeller full forward. Nothing changed. I hit the emergency buttons on the LORAN. Shortly ATC came back with a heading of 130 degrees. The controller reminded me to check the magnetos at which time I repeated the emergency check procedure. ATC said that carrollton was 13 mi away and to head 125 degrees. Airport elevation was 1100 ft and 5000 ft long and runway was 160 degrees. I set up a glide of 100 KTS. I concentrated on holding 125 degrees, 95-100 KTS, and wings level. I was soon in the clouds. My wife called out the altitudes and I relayed the information to ATC. ATC provided me with frequent distance reports. I disregarded the LORAN to concentrate on flying. We were in the clouds and last heard ATC say they lost contact and also apparently audio contact as they no longer responded but I could hear them. When we dropped below the clouds visibility was good and we could see the airport environment. I was lined up to intercept the extended runway just north of the overrun area. As I sank lower I realized I did not want to land in the overrun area unless I absolutely had to because the local area had just had 3 days of hard rain and I was afraid the plane would FLIP in the soft mud. My tanks were full. Of course, the landing gear was up during the glide. I knew I would not make the field if I put the gear down before the last possible moment. I was very low and turning final when I put the gear down. I was very low and leveling off and losing airspeed rapidly when the green gear light came on. The stall horn was blaring and I was trying to line up straight with the runway. The controls were barely responsive as we crossed the threshold. We were 5-6 ft off the ground when the plane started to stall. The left wing stalled first and dropped and we hit on the left wingtip and left main gear. I was able to straighten the plane out and we rolled to a stop at the first taxiway without any braking. The engine stopped on its own.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: BE35 LEVEL AT 6000 FT ON TOP OF CLOUDS, LOST CTL OF THE PROP. MAX RPM 700. ATC VECTORED ACFT TO CTJ, 13 MI DISTANCE, AND THE PLT WAS ABLE TO JUST MAKE THE RWY. ACFT STALLED AT 5-6 FT OVER THE RWY RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO L WINGTIP. ROLLOUT WAS COMPLETED ON THE RWY. NO INJURIES.
Narrative: IFR WITH ZTL 6000 FT CRUISE CLOUDS (OVCST) BELOW AT APPROX 4000 FT PROP GOVERNOR FAILED TO HIGH PITCH LOW RPM RESULTING IN NO THRUST. WAS ABLE TO GLIDE 13 MI TO CTJ AND MAKE LNDG WITH HELP OF ATC. BARELY MADE FIELD. L WING STALLED OVER RWY SCRAPING CONCRETE. NO ONE HURT. PAX WIFE WAS CALM AND HELPED BY READING ALTS. ATC PROVIDED HEADING LORAN WAS SET BUT RELIED ON ATC. I LEVELED AT 6000 FT, ROUGH LEANED THE ENG TO 14 GALS PER MIN, DID MY CRUISE CHK, AND ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT. I WAS ASSIGNED A HEADING APPROPRIATE TO HEFIN INTXN AND THEN CLRED DIRECT TO MGM. I WAS CLR OF THE CLOUDS. IT WAS BRIGHT AND CLR ABOVE AND OVCST BELOW. ALL ENG INSTS WERE NORMAL. I HAD A CRUISE SETTING OF 23 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE AND 2300 RPM. I HAD STARTED A TURN TO THE L TOWARD MGM WHEN SUDDENLY THE ENG DROPPED RPM VERY QUICKLY. MY WIFE SAID 'OH MY GOD.' ENG RPM DROPPED TO 700. I INITIALLY THOUGHT THE ENG WAS GOING TO STOP ALTOGETHER. I CALLED 'MAYDAY EMER' SEVERAL TIMES. IN THE MEANTIME, I CHKED THE IGNITION, INCREASED THE MIXTURE TO FULL, PUT ON THE BOOSTER PUMP. NOTHING HELPED. 700 RPM. I PUSHED THE PROP FULL FORWARD. NOTHING CHANGED. I HIT THE EMER BUTTONS ON THE LORAN. SHORTLY ATC CAME BACK WITH A HDG OF 130 DEGS. THE CTLR REMINDED ME TO CHK THE MAGNETOS AT WHICH TIME I REPEATED THE EMER CHK PROC. ATC SAID THAT CARROLLTON WAS 13 MI AWAY AND TO HEAD 125 DEGS. ARPT ELEVATION WAS 1100 FT AND 5000 FT LONG AND RWY WAS 160 DEGS. I SET UP A GLIDE OF 100 KTS. I CONCENTRATED ON HOLDING 125 DEGS, 95-100 KTS, AND WINGS LEVEL. I WAS SOON IN THE CLOUDS. MY WIFE CALLED OUT THE ALTS AND I RELAYED THE INFO TO ATC. ATC PROVIDED ME WITH FREQUENT DISTANCE RPTS. I DISREGARDED THE LORAN TO CONCENTRATE ON FLYING. WE WERE IN THE CLOUDS AND LAST HEARD ATC SAY THEY LOST CONTACT AND ALSO APPARENTLY AUDIO CONTACT AS THEY NO LONGER RESPONDED BUT I COULD HEAR THEM. WHEN WE DROPPED BELOW THE CLOUDS VISIBILITY WAS GOOD AND WE COULD SEE THE ARPT ENVIRONMENT. I WAS LINED UP TO INTERCEPT THE EXTENDED RWY JUST N OF THE OVERRUN AREA. AS I SANK LOWER I REALIZED I DID NOT WANT TO LAND IN THE OVERRUN AREA UNLESS I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO BECAUSE THE LCL AREA HAD JUST HAD 3 DAYS OF HARD RAIN AND I WAS AFRAID THE PLANE WOULD FLIP IN THE SOFT MUD. MY TANKS WERE FULL. OF COURSE, THE LNDG GEAR WAS UP DURING THE GLIDE. I KNEW I WOULD NOT MAKE THE FIELD IF I PUT THE GEAR DOWN BEFORE THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT. I WAS VERY LOW AND TURNING FINAL WHEN I PUT THE GEAR DOWN. I WAS VERY LOW AND LEVELING OFF AND LOSING AIRSPD RAPIDLY WHEN THE GREEN GEAR LIGHT CAME ON. THE STALL HORN WAS BLARING AND I WAS TRYING TO LINE UP STRAIGHT WITH THE RWY. THE CTLS WERE BARELY RESPONSIVE AS WE CROSSED THE THRESHOLD. WE WERE 5-6 FT OFF THE GND WHEN THE PLANE STARTED TO STALL. THE L WING STALLED FIRST AND DROPPED AND WE HIT ON THE L WINGTIP AND L MAIN GEAR. I WAS ABLE TO STRAIGHTEN THE PLANE OUT AND WE ROLLED TO A STOP AT THE FIRST TXWY WITHOUT ANY BRAKING. THE ENG STOPPED ON ITS OWN.
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.