20020122002549I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Beech 95-B55 · Palm Springs, CA · January 22, 2002

Date: January 22, 2002 · 12:51 local
Place: Palm Springs, CA
Airport: Palm Springs Regional Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N801Q
Reported as: Beech 95B55
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,300 total200 in this make and model

N801QRegistered now · Beech 95-B55S/N TC-897 · Built 1965 Airframe modelBeech 95-B55 Engine modelContinental IO-470 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) During the enroute phase of flight from wickenburg, AZ. To Palm Springs, CA. The right hand passenger door popped open. This caused the pilot tobe distracted during his descent, approach and landing. The pilot in command was distracted enough to miss ATC instructions and lose communications temporarily with approach control. During his traffic pattern and landing the pilot in command failed to insure that the gear was down and locked. The pilot proceeded to continue on final approach even with a red light gun signal from the tower and landed gear up.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING THE ENROUTE PHASE OF FLIGHT FROM WICKENBURG, AZ. TO PALM SPRINGS, CA. THE RIGHT HAND PASSENGER DOOR POPPED OPEN. THIS CAUSED THE PILOT TOBE DISTRACTED DURING HIS DESCENT, APPROACH AND LANDING. THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS DISTRACTED ENOUGH TO MISS ATC INSTRUCTIONS AND LOSE COMMUNICATIONS TEMPORARILY WITH APPROACH CONTROL. DURING HIS TRAFFIC PATTERN AND LANDING THE PILOT IN COMMAND FAILED TO INSURE THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE PILOT PROCEEDED TO CONTINUE ON FINAL APPROACH EVEN WITH A RED LIGHT GUN SIGNAL FROM THE TOWER AND LANDED GEAR UP.