At about 1100 central time, a Grumman AA-5B crashed on the runway during an aborted landing at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said he was cleared to land behind a helicopter, which he recognized as a military CH-47 Chinook. After the Chinook landed on the numbers, the tower instructed the helicopter to air taxi to the helipads. The pilot mentioned to his passenger that they would land long to avoid rotor-wash, aiming for the IFR touch down blocks a thousand feet south of the numbers. At approximately 20 feet above the runway, the airplane encountered turbulence and the left wing violently dipped down, the left main gear hit the ground, and the airplane bounced. The pilot added power and went around, and then landed safely, but post-flight examination revealed the left wing was damaged.
June 14, Houston, Texas / Grumman Tiger
At about 1100 central time, a Grumman AA-5B crashed on the runway during an aborted landing at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot said he was cleared to land behind a helicopter, which he recognized as a military CH-47 Chinook. After the Chinook landed on the numbers, the tower instructed the helicopter to air taxi to the helipads. The pilot mentioned to his passenger that they would land long to avoid rotor-wash, aiming for the IFR touch down blocks a thousand feet south of the numbers. At approximately 20 feet above the runway, the airplane encountered turbulence and the left wing violently dipped down, the left main gear hit the ground,...
Key Takeaways:
- A Grumman AA-5B crashed on the runway during an aborted landing at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport, though the pilot and passenger were uninjured.
- The incident occurred when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence, likely rotor-wash, while attempting to land behind a military CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
- The airplane's left wing violently dipped and struck the ground, causing a bounce and subsequent damage, despite the pilot successfully going around and landing safely.
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