20001017019419I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA23 · Mesa, AZ · October 17, 2000

Date: October 17, 2000 · 17:24 local
Place: Mesa, AZ
Airport: Falcon Field Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2210P
Reported as: Piper PA23
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 275 total68 in this make and model68 in the last 90 days

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) Airman was asmel rated and acting as an instrument student. While on downwind for landing, airman recalls lowering landing gear and verifying it being down along with the instructor in the right seat. ATC then requested airman follow traffic which required an abnormal amount of manuevering. Upon landing, the a/c settled onto the runway, with the landing gear retracted. The best the student and instructor could recall, at some point during the manuevering in the pattern, the student retracted the gear and it was not extended again prior to touchdown. The lights in the a/c were difficult to see according to both pilots as the sun was low on the horizon. The gear warning was inaudible with headsets on.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRMAN WAS ASMEL RATED AND ACTING AS AN INSTRUMENT STUDENT. WHILE ON DOWNWIND FOR LANDING, AIRMAN RECALLS LOWERING LANDING GEAR AND VERIFYING IT BEING DOWN ALONG WITH THE INSTRUCTOR IN THE RIGHT SEAT. ATC THEN REQUESTED AIRMAN FOLLOW TRAFFIC WHICH REQUIRED AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF MANUEVERING. UPON LANDING, THE A/C SETTLED ONTO THE RUNWAY, WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. THE BEST THE STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR COULD RECALL, AT SOME POINT DURING THE MANUEVERING IN THE PATTERN, THE STUDENT RETRACTED THE GEAR AND IT WAS NOT EXTENDED AGAIN PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. THE LIGHTS IN THE A/C WERE DIFFICULT TO SEE ACCORDING TO BOTH PILOTS AS THE SUN WAS LOW ON THE HORIZON. THE GEAR WARNING WAS INAUDIBLE WITH HEADSETS ON.