19980503014199I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32R-301 · Chapel Hill, NC · May 3, 1998

Date
May 3, 1998 · 16:45 local
Place
Chapel Hill, NC
Airport
Horace Williams Airport
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3575A
Reported as
Piper PA32R301
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
50 in this make and model

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: allison reported that the aircraft suffered an electrical power failure and had to extend the gear using the emergency manual extension system. When he landed, the nose gear began to retract because it was not locked in position. He arrested the nose from pitching down and striking the ground by quickly pulling back on the yoke but not before the prop struck the ground. The nose gear apparently swung out a second time and this time it locked. As the aircraft continued down the runway, the right gear collapsed, allowing the right wing leading edge to contact a runway light. As a ground crew attempted to lift the right wing off the ground, the left gear collapsed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ALLISON REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED AN ELECTRICAL POWER FAILURE AND HAD TO EXTEND THE GEAR USING THE EMERGENCY MANUAL EXTENSION SYSTEM. WHEN HE LANDED, THE NOSE GEAR BEGAN TO RETRACT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT LOCKED IN POSITION. HE ARRESTED THE NOSE FROM PITCHING DOWN AND STRIKING THE GROUND BY QUICKLY PULLING BACK ON THE YOKE BUT NOT BEFORE THE PROP STRUCK THE GROUND. THE NOSE GEAR APPARENTLY SWUNG OUT A SECOND TIME AND THIS TIME IT LOCKED. AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED DOWN THE RUNWAY, THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED, ALLOWING THE RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE TO CONTACT A RUNWAY LIGHT. AS A GROUND CREW ATTEMPTED TO LIFT THE RIGHT WING OFF THE GROUND, THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED.

Other reports on N3575A · 2

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