# Incident 19960303013479I: Piper PA23250, West Palm Beach, FL, March 3, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 3, 1996, 14:07 local time
- Place: West Palm Beach, FL
- Airport: Palm Beach International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: YCKF
- Location: 26.7153° N, 80.0534° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of West Palm Beach, FL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.7153&lon=-80.0534&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2337M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2337M-1998-05-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250
- Reported engine: LYC IO540A1A5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 16,971 total, 4,000 in this make and model, 210 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960303013479I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON MARCH 3, 1996, AT 1300 LCL, PIPER PA23, N2337M, DEPARTED MARSH HARBOR, ABACO BAHAMAS, UNDER FAR PART 91 TO WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA. ON APPROACH TO PBI, THE LANDING GEAR WAS LOWERED, HOWEVER, ONLY THE RIGHT MAIN AND NOSE GEAR INDICATED DOWN AND LOCKED. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO EXTEND THE LEFT GEAR WERE MADE, BOTH IN NORMAL AND EMERGENCY METHODS. AFTER APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR, THE PILOT IN COMMAND DISCONTINUED EFFORTS TO LOWER THE GEAR, AND ELECTED TO LAND THE AIRCRAFT WITH ALL GEARS RETRACTED. ON FINAL APPROACH, BOTH ENGINES WERE SECURED, ELECTRIC AND FUEL SHUT OFF. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDED ON RUNWAY 31 AT PBI, SUSTAINING MINOR DAMAGE. AN INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT A CLEVIS PIN AND COTTER PIN WERE MISSING FROM THE LEFT GEAR OUTER DOOR ACTUATING ROD, CAUSING THE DOOR NOT TO OPEN WHEN THE LANDING GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN. A REVIEW OF THE MANUFACTURER'S REPORT REVEALED THAT THE GEAR DOOR LINKAGES ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS AN INSPECTION REQUIREMENT. THE CLEVIS PINS ATTACHING THE DOOR LINKAGES ARE DIFFICULT TO ACCESS. A MALFUNCTION OR DEFECT REPORT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO DIRECT ATTENTION TO GEAR DOOR LINKAGE ATTACHMENTS.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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