Details Emerge In PA30 Landing Incident
There are all kinds of reasons to look into when an aircraft
is damaged in some kind of unfortunate altercation with Terra
Firma... but health problems involving the pilot are rare... though
some of the data in this report suggests that one pilot's bad day
at the airport may actually have created enough concern and
information about his health to ultimately get him where he needed
to be... the hospital.
NTSB Identification: WPR11LA044
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, November 10, 2010 in Tucson, AZ
Aircraft: PIPER PA30, registration: N628R
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may
contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when
the final report has been completed.
On November 10, 2010, about 1657 mountain standard time, a Piper
PA-30, N628R, collided with a building during taxi after landing at
Tucson, Arizona. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under
the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The
airline transport rated pilot with a certified flight instructor
(CFI) certificate was not injured. The airplane sustained
substantial damage to the wing. The cross-country personal flight
departed Stellar Airpark, Phoenix, Arizona, at an undetermined
time, with a planned destination of Tucson. Visual meteorological
conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot had flown from Tucson to Phoenix earlier in the day to
complete a flight check for his CFI renewal. He reported brake
trouble, and had a mechanic inspect the brakes. The mechanic
discovered no anomalies. The pilot was experiencing headaches
during the oral examination, and terminated the check ride.
The pilot returned to Tucson, landed on runway 11L, and planned
to exit the runway at taxiway 11. He reported that his brakes did
not seem to be slowing the airplane down, and his speed forced him
to try and exit at taxiway 13. As he entered the ramp area, he was
unable to turn the airplane. It continued ahead, and the right wing
collided with the fire department building.
The pilot and his wife contacted the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) inspector investigating the accident 2 days
after the accident. They informed him that the pilot was
disoriented after the accident. He went to a hospital that night
for examination; medical personnel discovered a previously
undiagnosed medical condition, and they performed immediate
surgery.