19960320007669I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech 3533 · Visalia, CA · March 20, 1996

Date: March 20, 1996 · 18:40 local
Place: Visalia, CA
Airport: Visalia Municipal
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: 634V9
Reported as: Beech 3533
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,800 total600 in this make and model11 in the last 90 days

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: a Beechcraft model BE-35-33, N634V, departed fresno air terminal (fat) on March 20, 1996 to go to Visalia, CA (vis) to practice night takeoff and landings. The pilot flew the ILS to runway 30 and put the landing gear lever down approaching the airport. He landed at approximately 1840 PST with the landing gear retracted. He noticed that the gear position light was not indicating down (green), but thought the mechanical indicator was reading that the landing gear was down. He knew that the landing gear was not down when the aircraft touched the ground and slid to a stop. In retrospect the commercial pilot stated that he thought that he heard a buzzing noise during the landing flare but dismissed it as radio feed back. Apparently the pilot said it must have been the landing gear warning horn. The landing gear motor circuit breaker was found in the popped position after the landing. The pilot, sole occupant was uninjured and no flight plan was filed. This incident closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: A BEECHCRAFT MODEL BE-35-33, N634V, DEPARTED FRESNO AIR TERMINAL (FAT) ON MARCH 20, 1996 TO GO TO VISALIA, CA (VIS) TO PRACTICE NIGHT TAKEOFF AND LANDINGS. THE PILOT FLEW THE ILS TO RUNWAY 30 AND PUT THE LANDING GEAR LEVER DOWN APPROACHING THE AIRPORT. HE LANDED AT APPROXIMATELY 1840 PST WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. HE NOTICED THAT THE GEAR POSITION LIGHT WAS NOT INDICATING DOWN (GREEN), BUT THOUGHT THE MECHANICAL INDICATOR WAS READING THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN. HE KNEW THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT DOWN WHEN THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED THE GROUND AND SLID TO A STOP. IN RETROSPECT THE COMMERCIAL PILOT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT HE HEARD A BUZZING NOISE DURING THE LANDING FLARE BUT DISMISSED IT AS RADIO FEED BACK. APPARENTLY THE PILOT SAID IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE LANDING GEAR WARNING HORN. THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS FOUND IN THE POPPED POSITION AFTER THE LANDING. THE PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT WAS UNINJURED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THIS INCIDENT CLOSED.