N42AE

On October 6, 1997, a Brown Air Shark III, N42AE, was substantially damaged when the airplane collided with a runway light following a hard landing at Austin Straubel International Airport, Green Bay, Wisconsin. The pilot reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was on file. The solo flight departed Green Bay at 1400 cdt for a local flight.

In a telephone conversation, the pilot said that he had made approximately 13 landings with his homebuilt amphibian airplane prior to the accident flight. He said that during these landings, he kept the engine producing power throughout the flare/touchdown sequence. During the landing on the accident flight, he said that he decided to "slow it down" and "chop the power at around ten feet." After the reduction of power, the airplane pitched up and collided with the runway in a nose high attitude. In his written statement, the pilot said that he "reduced the power too much, and [the] plane hit too hard." The left main gear diagonal support structure dislodged, partially collapsing the left main gear. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and collided with a runway light, damaging the left wing. The airplane then turned sideways, causing the main gear to sink into a soft spot in the grass, and separate from the airframe.

Post-accident inspection revealed that the main landing gear had sheared off. There was substantial damage to the left wing including leading edge damage and a puncture to the underside. There was a gash, approximately 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch deep, through the aft fuselage fiberglass skin, along the path of the propeller arc. The engine is mounted above the main fuselage, and aft of the cockpit. It is attached to the airframe on flexible mounts to allow for flex of the engine. The clearance between the outermost tip of the propeller blade and the fuselage skin is approximately 1/2 inch. The homebuilt airplane received its most recent inspection on May 9, 1997, when the airworthiness certificate was issued.