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20020221003139I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Blytheville, AR · February 21, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 21, 2002 · 19:45 local
Place
Blytheville, AR
Airport
Blytheville Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4106F
Reported as
Piper PA31350
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
7,500 total5,000 in this make and model68 in the last 90 days
N4106FRegistered now · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-8252034 · Built 1982Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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) On February 20, 2002, at 1945 central standard time, a Piper PA-31 multi-engine airplane, N4106F, sustained minor damage when it impacted the runway in Blytheville, Arkansas (hka). The airplane departed tallulah, Louisiana (M80) on a VFR flight to Blytheville, Arkansas (hka), when the pilot raised the landing gear after take-off, he observed an abnormal condition of the landing gear indicating lights. The pilot attempted to cycle the landing gear to the deployed position and tried retracting again. During the operation the nose gear was visible (via a mirror located on the left engine cowling) to be hanging at approximately 30 degree angle to the aircraft and little or no movement while the main gear operated normal. The pilot selected to deploy the gear again, the mains operated normal and no movement from the nose gear. The pilot attempted to lower the nose gear via the manual hydraulic pump, there was little resistance and no movement. The pilot made the decision to continue the flight to hka, which is the aircraft's home base. The pilot contacted the ground personnel at hka to make arrangements for emergency equipment and review the emergency landing procedures. When the aircraft was on short final to runway 18 at hka, the pilot shut down both engines, feathered the propellers, and shut down unnecessary electrical equipment. After touchdown of the main landing gear, the nose of the aircraft contacted with the runway along the centerline for approximately 900', until coming to a stop. The pilot secured the aircraft and deplaned without injury. There were no passengers on board the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON FEBRUARY 20, 2002, AT 1945 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-31 MULTI-ENGINE AIRPLANE, N4106F, SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE WHEN IT IMPACTED THE RUNWAY IN BLYTHEVILLE, ARKANSAS (HKA). THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED TALLULAH, LOUISIANA (M80) ON A VFR FLIGHT TO BLYTHEVILLE, ARKANSAS (HKA), WHEN THE PILOT RAISED THE LANDING GEAR AFTER TAKE-OFF, HE OBSERVED AN ABNORMAL CONDITION OF THE LANDING GEAR INDICATING LIGHTS. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO CYCLE THE LANDING GEAR TO THE DEPLOYED POSITION AND TRIED RETRACTING AGAIN. DURING THE OPERATION THE NOSE GEAR WAS VISIBLE (VIA A MIRROR LOCATED ON THE LEFT ENGINE COWLING) TO BE HANGING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE AIRCRAFT AND LITTLE OR NO MOVEMENT WHILE THE MAIN GEAR OPERATED NORMAL. THE PILOT SELECTED TO DEPLOY THE GEAR AGAIN, THE MAINS OPERATED NORMAL AND NO MOVEMENT FROM THE NOSE GEAR. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE NOSE GEAR VIA THE MANUAL HYDRAULIC PUMP, THERE WAS LITTLE RESISTANCE AND NO MOVEMENT. THE PILOT MADE THE DECISION TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT TO HKA, WHICH IS THE AIRCRAFT'S HOME BASE. THE PILOT CONTACTED THE GROUND PERSONNEL AT HKA TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND REVIEW THE EMERGENCY LANDING PROCEDURES. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON SHORT FINAL TO RUNWAY 18 AT HKA, THE PILOT SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGINES, FEATHERED THE PROPELLERS, AND SHUT DOWN UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. AFTER TOUCHDOWN OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR, THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED WITH THE RUNWAY ALONG THE CENTERLINE FOR APPROXIMATELY 900', UNTIL COMING TO A STOP. THE PILOT SECURED THE AIRCRAFT AND DEPLANED WITHOUT INJURY. THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT.