19940709036089I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-46-310P · South Bend, IN · July 9, 1994

Date: July 9, 1994 · 11:00 local
Place: South Bend, IN
Airport: Michiana Regional
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4378S
Reported as: Piper PA46310P
Reported engine: Continental TSIO520BE
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,470 total575 in this make and model18 in the last 90 days

N4378SRegistration cancelled Feb 26, 2018 · Piper PA-46-310PS/N 46-8508009 · Built 1984 Airframe modelPiper PA-46-310P Engine modelContinental TSIO-520 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on July 9, 1994, while approaching the benton harbor, Michigan airport (beh), the pilot selected the landing gear down position. The landing gear light indicated that the nose landing gear was not in the down and locked position. Standard emergency procedures to lower the landing gear failed so the pilot flew to South Bend, Indiana for emergency procedure advise. A Piper pilot suggested bouncing the aircraft on the main landing gear. After the second hard bounce on the main landing gear, the nose gear was down and locked. The propeller was damaged on the second hard bounce. The lower "o" ring part number 752 636 in the gar-kenyon hydraulic pump assembly was pinched and allowed hydraulic fluid to leak out causing a lack of fluid for proper landing gear operation.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON JULY 9, 1994, WHILE APPROACHING THE BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN AIRPORT (BEH), THE PILOT SELECTED THE LANDING GEAR DOWN POSITION. THE LANDING GEAR LIGHT INDICATED THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. STANDARD EMERGENCY PROCEDURES TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR FAILED SO THE PILOT FLEW TO SOUTH BEND, INDIANA FOR EMERGENCY PROCEDURE ADVISE. A PIPER PILOT SUGGESTED BOUNCING THE AIRCRAFT ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR. AFTER THE SECOND HARD BOUNCE ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR, THE NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE PROPELLER WAS DAMAGED ON THE SECOND HARD BOUNCE. THE LOWER "O" RING PART NUMBER 752 636 IN THE GAR-KENYON HYDRAULIC PUMP ASSEMBLY WAS PINCHED AND ALLOWED HYDRAULIC FLUID TO LEAK OUT CAUSING A LACK OF FLUID FOR PROPER LANDING GEAR OPERATION.