# Incident 19970629029909I: Piper PA34200T, Fort Wayne, IN, June 29, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 29, 1997, 14:35 local time
- Place: Fort Wayne, IN
- Airport: Smith Field Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.1434° N, 85.1528° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at SMITH FLD (SMD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1434&lon=-85.1528&mi=10
- Aircraft: N96PG, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N96PG) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-34-200T (registry code 7103406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-200t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA34200T
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO360E
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,400 total, 100 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970629029909I

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: ON JUNE 29, 1997, AT APPROXIMATELY 1940Z (1440 EDT) THE PIC OF A PA-34-200T (SENECA II) N96PG MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON RUNWAY (23) AT SMITH FIELD (SMD), FORT WAYNE, INDIANA. THE PILOT INDICATED SHORTLY AFTER TAKE OFF THE NOSE COMPARTMENT BAGGAGE DOOR POPPED OPEN AND BEGAN FLAPPING OPEN AND CLOSED, ADVERSELY AFFECTING THE AIRCRAFT'S HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS. THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) IMMEDIATELY TURNED BACK TOWARD THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY (23) WHILE LOWERING THE LANDING GEAR. THE PIC STATED THE GEAR DOWN GREEN LIGHTS DID NOT ILLUMINATE AND HE DID NOT REMEMBER HEARING THE USUAL SOUND OF THE LANDING GEAR TRANSITIONING TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. HE ACTUATED THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM BUT STILL DID NOT GET THE GREEN LIGHTS. THE PIC STATED, IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCH DOWN THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED ON ITS LOWER FUSELAGE AND THE PROPELLERS STRUCK THE RUNWAY BENDING ALL BLADES BACK 90 DEGREES. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON CENTER LINE, 440 FEET FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 23. RUNWAY (23) IS 3119 FEET LONG AND 100 FEET WIDE. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST LEFT OF CENTER AT THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY, 601 FEET FROM INITIAL TOUCH DOWN POINT. AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS MINI MAL AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. AIRCRAFT WAS PLACED ON JACKS FOR LANDING GEAR OPERATIONAL CHECK, ALL GEAR IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. WHEN ELECTRICAL POWER WAS APPLIED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR (NLG) AND LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR (MLG) LIGHTS INDICATED DOWN AND LOCKED (GREEN), BUT THE RIGHT MLG POSITION INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 10 SECONDS AFTER POWER APPLICATION. POWER WAS SECURED AND REAPPLIED, THE SAME TIME LAG OCCURRED WITH THE NLG INDICATOR. FURTHER CHECKS REVEALED THE TIME LAG MOVED TO DIFFERENT GEAR INDICATORS UPON EACH APPLICATION OF POWER. CAUSE, UNKNOWN, INFORMATION RELAYED GIVEN TO OWNER. LANDING GEAR OPERATION CHECKED: HANDLE PLACED IN "UP" POSITION-MLG RETRACTED NORMALLY, NLG ACTUATOR CYLINDER RETRACTED. HANDLE PLACED IN DOWN POSITION-MLG OPERATED NORMALLY INDICATING DOWN AND LOCKED, NLG ACTUATOR CYLINDER EXTENDED. LANDING GEAR PLACED IN THE UP POSITION, POWER SECURED, EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR HANDLE PULLED, LANDING GEAR FELL THROUGH TO DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION INDICATORS ILLUMINATED (GREEN), DOWN AND LOCKED. COULD FIND NO CAUSE FOR LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE DURING LANDING. BLOCK#40: FAA RESPONSIBILITIES NUMBERS (1), (2) AND (5) THROUGH (9) WERE NOT CAUSAL TO THE REPORTED INCIDENT. FAA RESPONSIBILITY #(3) AIRWORTHINESS: THE NOSE COMPARTMENT BAGGAGE DOOR OPENED DURING FLIGHT DUE TO A LOCKING MECHANISM FAILURE. FAA RESPONSIBILITY #(4), AIRMAN COMPETENCY: THE PIC'S ANXIETY AND PERFORMANCE OF EMERGENCY PROCEDURES ARE SUSPECT AS CAUSAL FACTORS IN THE WHEELS UP LANDING. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^

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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