# Incident 20020420011669I: Piper PA34220T, Sturgis, MI, April 20, 2002

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 20, 2002, 14:45 local time
- Place: Sturgis, MI
- Airport: Kirsch Municipal Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.8008° N, 85.4192° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.8008&lon=-85.4192&mi=10
- Aircraft: N92721, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N92721-2011-05-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-34-220T (registry code 7103420, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-220t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA34220T
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 7,062 total, 1,350 in this make and model, 53 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI02IA110](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02IA110) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020420011669I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) AIRCRAFT DEPARTED VFR FROM BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN (BTL). PILOT REQUESTED FLIGHT FOLLOWING TO HAMILTON, INDIANA, THEN TO STURGIS, MICHIGAN (IRS). A/C WAS TERMINATED FROM ADVISORY SERVICE 7-8 MILES SOUTH OF IRS. WHILE PERFORMING A FLAPS UP LANDING INSTRUCTION, A/C LANDED ON RW36 GEAR UP, FLAPS UP, SKIDDING TO A STOP APPROXIMATELY 2000 FEET DOWN RUNWAY. NO INJURIES. PILOT STATED, NO MECHANICAL OR WEATHER RELATED CONDITIONS CAUSED THIS GEAR UP LANDING. PILOT ERROR WAS STATED BY MR. THOMAS, INSTRUCTOR PILOT FOR WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN (A FAR PART 141 SCHOOL). (.19) ON APRIL 20, 2002, AT 1545 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-34-220T, N92721, PILOTED BY A STUDENT PILOT, WAS DAMAGED DURING A WHEELS-UP LANDING ON RUNWAY 36 (5,700 FEET BY 75 FEET, DRY/ASPHALT) AT THE KIRSCH MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, STURGIS, MICHIGAN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WAS OPERATING UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND STUDENT PILOT DID NOT REPORT ANY INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED THE W.K. KELLOGG AIRPORT, BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, AT 1450. ACCORDING      TO A WRITTEN STATEMENT PROVIDED BY THE CFI, WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH THE STUDENT VERBALLY COMPLETED THE LANDING CHECKLIST INCLUDING VERIFYING THAT THE MIXTURE CONTROLS WERE FULL RICH, THE PROPELLER CONTROLS WERE FULL FORWARD, AND THE LANDING GEAR POSITION LIGHTS WERE GREEN. THE CFI STATED THAT, "I DID NOT CHECK THE 3 GREEN LIGHTS MYSELF." THE CFI REPORTED THAT DURING THE FLARE THE AIRPLANE FLOATED LONGER THAN NORMAL AND THEN SETTLED ONTO THE RUNWAY. ACCORDING TO A WRITTEN STATEMENT PROVIDED BY THE STUDENT PILOT, SHE VERBALLY COMPLETED THE LANDING CHECKLIST AND "... FAILED TO SEE THAT THERE WERE NOT 3 GREEN LIGHTS." THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT DURING LANDING SHE HEARD THE TAIL SCRAPING AND SAW ONE OF THE PROPELLERS IMPACT THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE WAS HOISTED OFF THE GROUND AND THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED WITHOUT ANY ANOMALIES WHEN THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR HANDLE WAS PLACED IN THE GEAR-DOWN POSITION. NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND WITH THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM THAT COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH A PRE-IMPACT CONDITION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI02IA110](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02IA110), Apr 20, 2002: Piper PA-34-220T (N92721), Sturgis, MI, incident, minor damage. Probable cause: The flightcrew not following the landing checklist, the flightcrew not lowering the landing gear, and the flight examiner's inadequate supervision of the flight.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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