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19990714022959I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-24-250 · Denver, CO · July 14, 1999

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 14, 1999 · 21:23 local
Place
Denver, CO
Airport
Centennial Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N260SC
Reported as
Piper PA24250
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
871 total24 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days
N260SCRegistered now · Piper PA-24-250S/N 24-3678 · Built 1964Airframe modelPiper PA-24-250Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

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.

(-23) According to the pilot he departed front range airport during the hours of darkness. During the start and runup check he discovered that the gear down light went out anytime he turned on the naviation and panel lights. Knowing this he departed front range airport enroute to the Centennial Airport with the gear down light inoperative. On approach to the Centennial Airport e put the gear lever down. The landing gear light did not illuminate. Knowing it to be inoperative with the navigation lights on on he assumed the gear was down and landed the airplane gear up. The pilot stated he did not check the manual gear extention handle position nor did he recall the gear horn sounding. He stated that upon jacking the aircraft the landing gear circuit breaker was found to be popped. The circuit breaker was reset and the gear extended normally. Inspection by the FAA confirmed the gear down light did in fact fail anytime the navigation/panel lights were turned on. (It should dim and not fail.) The horn was found to operate anytime the throttle was retarded.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ACCORDING TO THE PILOT HE DEPARTED FRONT RANGE AIRPORT DURING THE HOURS OF DARKNESS. DURING THE START AND RUNUP CHECK HE DISCOVERED THAT THE GEAR DOWN LIGHT WENT OUT ANYTIME HE TURNED ON THE NAVIATION AND PANEL LIGHTS. KNOWING THIS HE DEPARTED FRONT RANGE AIRPORT ENROUTE TO THE CENTENNIAL AIRPORT WITH THE GEAR DOWN LIGHT INOPERATIVE. ON APPROACH TO THE CENTENNIAL AIRPORT E PUT THE GEAR LEVER DOWN. THE LANDING GEAR LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. KNOWING IT TO BE INOPERATIVE WITH THE NAVIGATION LIGHTS ON ON HE ASSUMED THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LANDED THE AIRPLANE GEAR UP. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT CHECK THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENTION HANDLE POSITION NOR DID HE RECALL THE GEAR HORN SOUNDING. HE STATED THAT UPON JACKING THE AIRCRAFT THE LANDING GEAR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS FOUND TO BE POPPED. THE CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS RESET AND THE GEAR EXTENDED NORMALLY. INSPECTION BY THE FAA CONFIRMED THE GEAR DOWN LIGHT DID IN FACT FAIL ANYTIME THE NAVIGATION/PANEL LIGHTS WERE TURNED ON. (IT SHOULD DIM AND NOT FAIL.) THE HORN WAS FOUND TO OPERATE ANYTIME THE THROTTLE WAS RETARDED.