19970401011589I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA34200 · Minneapolis, MN · April 1, 1997

Date: April 1, 1997 · 08:43 local
Place: Minneapolis, MN
Airport: Flying Cloud Airport
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N94PG
Reported as: Piper PA34200
Reported engine: Lycoming IO360C1E6
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,101 total14 in this make and model105 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: instructor and student taxied aircraft to runway 09R. There was nothing abnormal on taxi or during runup. After takeoff with right crosswind (170/12KT to 15KT) gear selected up. Red gear warning light stayed illuminated, pilot recycled gear showing mains locked down, but nose gear not down, with gear warning still on. Pilot declared emergency and cycled gear. Emergency retract failed to extend gear. Nose wheel collapsed on landing causing minor damage. privacy data omitted Malfunction and defect report. Appears to be a ground handling, mechanical, and design problem with nose gear.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT TAXIED AIRCRAFT TO RUNWAY 09R. THERE WAS NOTHING ABNORMAL ON TAXI OR DURING RUNUP. AFTER TAKEOFF WITH RIGHT CROSSWIND (170/12KT TO 15KT) GEAR SELECTED UP. RED GEAR WARNING LIGHT STAYED ILLUMINATED, PILOT RECYCLED GEAR SHOWING MAINS LOCKED DOWN, BUT NOSE GEAR NOT DOWN, WITH GEAR WARNING STILL ON. PILOT DECLARED EMERGENCY AND CYCLED GEAR. EMERGENCY RETRACT FAILED TO EXTEND GEAR. NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED ON LANDING CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ MALFUNCTION AND DEFECT REPORT. APPEARS TO BE A GROUND HANDLING, MECHANICAL, AND DESIGN PROBLEM WITH NOSE GEAR.