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19980522010759I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-31T2 · Houston, TX · May 22, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 22, 1998 · 12:45 local
Place
Houston, TX
Airport
William P Hobby Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N90SC
Reported as
Piper PA31T2
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A11
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
9,200 total800 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days
N90SCRegistration cancelled Mar 10, 2004 · Piper PA-31T2S/N 31T-1166004 · Built 1984Airframe modelPiper PA-31T2Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60ATurbo-prop

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.

Gear up landing on Houston Hobby(hou) runway 12R. The pilots insists that he is certain that the gear was down and locked, and that the landing gear then collapsed on touchdown. Physical evidence and the type of damage to the aircraft gear doors show otherwise. Evidence shows that the prop-tips began to strike the ground, and that the gear doors damaged during the landing slide. The landing gear handle(in the cockpit) was found in the "down neutral" position. Photographs and on scene examination of the aircraft showed that both main gear were inside the wheel wells and inside the inboard main gear doors. No damage to main gear linkage or down lock linkage. No evidence of scuffing on the outside edge or sides of either of the main gear tires. The nose gear was inside the nose gear doors. Relatively minor damage to the inboard main gear doors, and belly of the aircraft. Other damage to the nose gear doors, flaps, propellers, and possible FOD(foreign object damage) to engines. Post incident landing gear swing showed normal operation.

As the FAA filed it

GEAR UP LANDING ON HOUSTON HOBBY(HOU) RUNWAY 12R. THE PILOTS INSISTS THAT HE IS CERTAIN THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED, AND THAT THE LANDING GEAR THEN COLLAPSED ON TOUCHDOWN. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND THE TYPE OF DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT GEAR DOORS SHOW OTHERWISE. EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT THE PROP-TIPS BEGAN TO STRIKE THE GROUND, AND THAT THE GEAR DOORS DAMAGED DURING THE LANDING SLIDE. THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE(IN THE COCKPIT) WAS FOUND IN THE "DOWN NEUTRAL" POSITION. PHOTOGRAPHS AND ON SCENE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED THAT BOTH MAIN GEAR WERE INSIDE THE WHEEL WELLS AND INSIDE THE INBOARD MAIN GEAR DOORS. NO DAMAGE TO MAIN GEAR LINKAGE OR DOWN LOCK LINKAGE. NO EVIDENCE OF SCUFFING ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE OR SIDES OF EITHER OF THE MAIN GEAR TIRES. THE NOSE GEAR WAS INSIDE THE NOSE GEAR DOORS. RELATIVELY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE INBOARD MAIN GEAR DOORS, AND BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT. OTHER DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR DOORS, FLAPS, PROPELLERS, AND POSSIBLE FOD(FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE) TO ENGINES. POST INCIDENT LANDING GEAR SWING SHOWED NORMAL OPERATION.