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19970804036029I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech 65 · Mcallen, TX · August 4, 1997

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 4, 1997 · 11:50 local
Place
Mcallen, TX
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
VWYA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N231Q
Reported as
Beech 65
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
350 total350 in this make and model32 in the last 90 days
N231QRegistration cancelled Jul 26, 2001 · Beech 65S/N LC-185Airframe modelBeech 65

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: after departing monterey del norte, the aircraft lost all electrical power. The emergency alternator restart was initiated. Both alternators indicated 28 volts for about 10 seconds, then decreased to 20 volts and showed steady decrease. After all attempts failed to restart the alternators the gear was extended manually. The gear was not in the down and locked position when the aircraft landed. The aircraft sustained minor damage and is under investigation. The primary cause of the gear failure of N231Q, Beechcraft 65, serial number LC-185 was as follows: first damage was caused by crew not actuating alternator switches prior to take-off and inadvertently draining power from battery prior to landing. Pilot manually extended gear until he thought they were down and locked, however, the left gear was not locked. Second damage was caused by failure of the alternator on the right side and a faulty battery relay. Pilot manually extended gear until he thought it was down and locked. During the latest repair all flight crews were given additional instruction and physically extended the gear manually while on jacks. This incident is closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: AFTER DEPARTING MONTEREY DEL NORTE, THE AIRCRAFT LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER. THE EMERGENCY ALTERNATOR RESTART WAS INITIATED. BOTH ALTERNATORS INDICATED 28 VOLTS FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS, THEN DECREASED TO 20 VOLTS AND SHOWED STEADY DECREASE. AFTER ALL ATTEMPTS FAILED TO RESTART THE ALTERNATORS THE GEAR WAS EXTENDED MANUALLY. THE GEAR WAS NOT IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION WHEN THE AIRCRAFT LANDED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE GEAR FAILURE OF N231Q, BEECHCRAFT 65, SERIAL NUMBER LC-185 WAS AS FOLLOWS: FIRST DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY CREW NOT ACTUATING ALTERNATOR SWITCHES PRIOR TO TAKE-OFF AND INADVERTENTLY DRAINING POWER FROM BATTERY PRIOR TO LANDING. PILOT MANUALLY EXTENDED GEAR UNTIL HE THOUGHT THEY WERE DOWN AND LOCKED, HOWEVER, THE LEFT GEAR WAS NOT LOCKED. SECOND DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY FAILURE OF THE ALTERNATOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND A FAULTY BATTERY RELAY. PILOT MANUALLY EXTENDED GEAR UNTIL HE THOUGHT IT WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. DURING THE LATEST REPAIR ALL FLIGHT CREWS WERE GIVEN ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION AND PHYSICALLY EXTENDED THE GEAR MANUALLY WHILE ON JACKS. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED.