# Incident 19970822032489I: Blanca 1730A, Gainesville, FL, August 22, 1997

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 22, 1997, 20:50 local time
- Place: Gainesville, FL
- Airport: Gainesville Regional Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.6901° N, 82.2718° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GAINESVILLE RGNL (GNV), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6901&lon=-82.2718&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8207R, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8207R) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bellanca 17-30A (registry code 1220433, https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-17-30a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BLANCA 1730A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,100 total, 2 in this make and model, 27 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970822032489I

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: ON AUGUST 22, 1997 AT APPROXIMATELY 1930 LOCAL, THE PILOT, DR. GIUSEPPE BASILE AND HIS PASSENGER, MR. JAMES E. YOUNG, DEPARTED GAINESVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT, GAINESVILLE, FL FLYING A BELLANCA 17-30A, N8207A, INTENDING TO PRACTICE PROFICIENCY ILS INSTRUMENT APPROACHES TO RUNWAY 28, GAINESVILLE. THE FIRST APPROACH WAS NORMAL AND AS INTENDED, A MISSED APPROACH WAS INITIATED AT 300 FEET AND THE GEAR WAS RETRACTED. DURING THE SECOND APPROACH IT WAS NOTED THAT THE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND AND THE RED GEAR WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. RECYCLING THE GEAR AND A CIRCUIT BREAKER CHECK DID NOT ALLEVIATE THE CONDITION. UTILIZING THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION SYSTEM THE MAIN GEAR EXTENDED AND LOCKED IN THE DOWN POSITION AS INDICATED BY THE TWO MAIN GEAR GREEN LIGHTS. THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS USING "GRAVITY FORCE" AS A MEANS OF LOCKING THE NOSE GEAR FAILED. A FLY-BY OF THE TOWER AND EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT PERSONNEL DETERMINED THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN. THE INDICATION IN THE COCKPIT SHOWED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT LOCKED IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE A NORMAL APPROACH AND LANDING HOLDING THE NOSE GEAR CLEAR OF THE RUNWAY AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, CUTTING THE MIXTURE WHEN APPROPRIATE AND OPENING THE CABIN DOOR PRIOR TO NOSE WHEEL CONTACT. THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED ON ROLL OUT. THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED ON THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER COMPLETING THE COCKPIT SECURE PROCEDURES. NO INJURIES TO PERSONNEL AND THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE COWLING. THE ENGINE HAS BEEN TORN DOWN AND INSPECTED. THE CRANK SHAFT WAS NOT DAMAGED. MAINTENANCE INSPECTION DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRIC LANDING GEAR HYDRAULIC PUMP MOTOR FAILED, A COMPONENT OF THE HYDRAULIC POWER PACK , PART NUMBER HYC-5005, MANUFACTURED BY PRESTOLIGHT. INVESTIGATION INTO THE NOSE WHEEL FAILING TO LOWER AND LOCK IN THE DOWN POSITION, UTILIZING THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION SYSTEM, MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO AGE RESULTING IN REDUCED TENSILE STRENGTH OF THE NOSE GEAR SPRINGS THAT ASSIST IN LOCKING THE NOSE GEAR IN THE EXTENDED POSITION.

## Other reports on N8207R (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20000416016879I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000416016879I), Apr 16, 2000: Blanca 1730A (N8207R), Orange Springs, FL, Minor damage. (-23)Pilot reported high oil temperature, high cylinder head temperature and a loss of oil pressure. Also, the pilot indicated he was afraid of the possibility…

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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