19960523019019I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Wayne, NE · May 23, 1996

Date: May 23, 1996 · 16:00 local
Place: Wayne, NE
Airport: Wayne Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N5833Y
Reported as: Piper PA23250
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,300 total750 in this make and model87 in the last 90 days

N5833YRegistered now · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-2982 Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250 Engine modelLycoming IO-540 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: the pilot stated he was reviewing normal/abnormal emergency procedures for the airplane. He was doing this by sitting in the airplane and going through various checklists. This included moving some of the controls/switches. The landing gear lever was moved during this review. After the review, the airplane owner/pilot intended to make a local solo practice flight. During the takeoff roll, the nose of the airplane started to drop. The pilot said he pulled back on the control wheel, the airplane lifted off, and the gear retracted. He discovered he had inadvertently left the landing gear lever in the retract position after his previous review. He immediately returned for landing. Damage was limited to both propellers when the tips struck the runway. This incident is closed with this report.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT STATED HE WAS REVIEWING NORMAL/ABNORMAL EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FOR THE AIRPLANE. HE WAS DOING THIS BY SITTING IN THE AIRPLANE AND GOING THROUGH VARIOUS CHECKLISTS. THIS INCLUDED MOVING SOME OF THE CONTROLS/SWITCHES. THE LANDING GEAR LEVER WAS MOVED DURING THIS REVIEW. AFTER THE REVIEW, THE AIRPLANE OWNER/PILOT INTENDED TO MAKE A LOCAL SOLO PRACTICE FLIGHT. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO DROP. THE PILOT SAID HE PULLED BACK ON THE CONTROL WHEEL, THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF, AND THE GEAR RETRACTED. HE DISCOVERED HE HAD INADVERTENTLY LEFT THE LANDING GEAR LEVER IN THE RETRACT POSITION AFTER HIS PREVIOUS REVIEW. HE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED FOR LANDING. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO BOTH PROPELLERS WHEN THE TIPS STRUCK THE RUNWAY. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED WITH THIS REPORT.