20010302002989I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech 35BEECH · Rancho Calif, CA · March 2, 2001

Date: March 2, 2001 · 12:40 local
Place: Rancho Calif, CA
Airport: French Valley Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3224V
Reported as: Beech 35BEECH
Reported engine: Continental E185*
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 22,000 total14 in this make and model7 in the last 90 days

N3224VRegistered now · Beech 35S/N D-667 · Built 1947 Airframe modelBeech 35 Engine modelContinental E185 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) The PIC of a BE-35 landed gear up at the French Valley Airport on runway 18. While the pilot was giving airplane rides at the French Valley Airport, he failed to notice that the alternator switch was off. This caused the battery to discharge and prevent the landing gear from operating properly. The pilot also failed to check that the gear indicated down prior to his final landing.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PIC OF A BE-35 LANDED GEAR UP AT THE FRENCH VALLEY AIRPORT ON RUNWAY 18. WHILE THE PILOT WAS GIVING AIRPLANE RIDES AT THE FRENCH VALLEY AIRPORT, HE FAILED TO NOTICE THAT THE ALTERNATOR SWITCH WAS OFF. THIS CAUSED THE BATTERY TO DISCHARGE AND PREVENT THE LANDING GEAR FROM OPERATING PROPERLY. THE PILOT ALSO FAILED TO CHECK THAT THE GEAR INDICATED DOWN PRIOR TO HIS FINAL LANDING.