What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 11, 1999, about 0944 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24, N5238P, registered to a private individual, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight made a gear-up landing at fort Myers Page Field, FL. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the private-rated pilot and a passenger received no injuries. The flight originated about 1 hour before the accident. According to the pilot, he had a green light indicating his landing gear were down and locked. According to FAA personnel in the fort Myers control tower, they can remember three or four times in the recent past that they had to remind the pilot of N5238P to lower his landing gear for landing. (.4) on June 11, 1999, about 0944 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24, N5238P, registered to a private individual, operating as a title 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, made a gear-up landing at Page Field, fort Myers, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the private-rated pilot and one passenger were not injured. The flight originated from punta gorda, Florida about 19 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated that on final approach to runway 13 at Page Field, he selected the landing gear control to the down position and, "I believe I saw a green light for the gear and continued the landing as per usual". According to FAA personnel in the fort Myers control tower, they, (at least three of us) can remember three or four times in the recent past that they had to remind the pilot of N5238P to extend his wheels for landing. According to the fort Myers control tower chief, a playback of the tower audio tapes of radio communications between tower personnel and N5238P revealed that sometime during or shortly after the accident, N5238P transmitted, "I just made a gear up". The aircraft was transported to a fixed-base operator on the field and examined by an FAA certified mechanic. After resetting a circuit breaker for the landing gear operating motor, the gear were cycled several times satisfactorily. It was unknown by the A&P mechanic how long the circuit breaker had been tripped. The landing gear system is equipped with a large emergency extension handle in the cockpit that can be used as a backup gear position indicator by observing its action. The landing gear down green light indicated normally and the handle followed the extension/retraction cycle normally. (-23)landed gear-up fmy.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 11, 1999, ABOUT 0944 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-24, N5238P, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT MADE A GEAR-UP LANDING AT FORT MYERS PAGE FIELD, FL. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT AND A PASSENGER RECEIVED NO INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 1 HOUR BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE HAD A GREEN LIGHT INDICATING HIS LANDING GEAR WERE DOWN AND LOCKED. ACCORDING TO FAA PERSONNEL IN THE FORT MYERS CONTROL TOWER, THEY CAN REMEMBER THREE OR FOUR TIMES IN THE RECENT PAST THAT THEY HAD TO REMIND THE PILOT OF N5238P TO LOWER HIS LANDING GEAR FOR LANDING. (.4) ON JUNE 11, 1999, ABOUT 0944 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-24, N5238P, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, MADE A GEAR-UP LANDING AT PAGE FIELD, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM PUNTA GORDA, FLORIDA ABOUT 19 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 13 AT PAGE FIELD, HE SELECTED THE LANDING GEAR CONTROL TO THE DOWN POSITION AND, "I BELIEVE I SAW A GREEN LIGHT FOR THE GEAR AND CONTINUED THE LANDING AS PER USUAL". ACCORDING TO FAA PERSONNEL IN THE FORT MYERS CONTROL TOWER, THEY, (AT LEAST THREE OF US) CAN REMEMBER THREE OR FOUR TIMES IN THE RECENT PAST THAT THEY HAD TO REMIND THE PILOT OF N5238P TO EXTEND HIS WHEELS FOR LANDING. ACCORDING TO THE FORT MYERS CONTROL TOWER CHIEF, A PLAYBACK OF THE TOWER AUDIO TAPES OF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN TOWER PERSONNEL AND N5238P REVEALED THAT SOMETIME DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT, N5238P TRANSMITTED, "I JUST MADE A GEAR UP". THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRANSPORTED TO A FIXED-BASE OPERATOR ON THE FIELD AND EXAMINED BY AN FAA CERTIFIED MECHANIC. AFTER RESETTING A CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE LANDING GEAR OPERATING MOTOR, THE GEAR WERE CYCLED SEVERAL TIMES SATISFACTORILY. IT WAS UNKNOWN BY THE A&P MECHANIC HOW LONG THE CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD BEEN TRIPPED. THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM IS EQUIPPED WITH A LARGE EMERGENCY EXTENSION HANDLE IN THE COCKPIT THAT CAN BE USED AS A BACKUP GEAR POSITION INDICATOR BY OBSERVING ITS ACTION. THE LANDING GEAR DOWN GREEN LIGHT INDICATED NORMALLY AND THE HANDLE FOLLOWED THE EXTENSION/RETRACTION CYCLE NORMALLY. (-23)LANDED GEAR-UP FMY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N5238P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.