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20020514012679I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Huntsville, AL · May 14, 2002

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 14, 2002 · 08:00 local
Place
Huntsville, AL
Airport
Huntsville International-Carl T Jones
Phase of flight
Idling Engines
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1872H
Reported as
Piper PA31350
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
12,000 total1,300 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days
N1872HRegistered now · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-7652053 · Built 1975Airframe 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) Pilot stated that after preflighting, the aircraft was boarded in preparation for flight. When the main battery switch was turned on, an aural warning was heard and thought to be the stall warning. The stall warning tab on the wing was actuated and it worked okay. The pilot then tried to isolate the problem by pulling circuit breakers. When the l/g (landing gear) circuit breaker was pulled, the aural warning stopped. The pilot decided to start the engines, and when the engines were at idle the landing gear breaker was pushed in and the nose gear immediately cycled up causing both propellers to impact the ground. Upon a visual inspection of the cockpit area by an inspector from this office, it was observed that the landing gear handle was still in the gear up position. A functional check of the landing gear revealed a malfunction of a safety solenoid which prevents the gear handle from being moved to the up position with weight on wheels. It is undetermined why the gear handle was in the up position prior to starting engines.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT STATED THAT AFTER PREFLIGHTING, THE AIRCRAFT WAS BOARDED IN PREPARATION FOR FLIGHT. WHEN THE MAIN BATTERY SWITCH WAS TURNED ON, AN AURAL WARNING WAS HEARD AND THOUGHT TO BE THE STALL WARNING. THE STALL WARNING TAB ON THE WING WAS ACTUATED AND IT WORKED OKAY. THE PILOT THEN TRIED TO ISOLATE THE PROBLEM BY PULLING CIRCUIT BREAKERS. WHEN THE L/G (LANDING GEAR) CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS PULLED, THE AURAL WARNING STOPPED. THE PILOT DECIDED TO START THE ENGINES, AND WHEN THE ENGINES WERE AT IDLE THE LANDING GEAR BREAKER WAS PUSHED IN AND THE NOSE GEAR IMMEDIATELY CYCLED UP CAUSING BOTH PROPELLERS TO IMPACT THE GROUND. UPON A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE COCKPIT AREA BY AN INSPECTOR FROM THIS OFFICE, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE WAS STILL IN THE GEAR UP POSITION. A FUNCTIONAL CHECK OF THE LANDING GEAR REVEALED A MALFUNCTION OF A SAFETY SOLENOID WHICH PREVENTS THE GEAR HANDLE FROM BEING MOVED TO THE UP POSITION WITH WEIGHT ON WHEELS. IT IS UNDETERMINED WHY THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE UP POSITION PRIOR TO STARTING ENGINES.

Other reports on N1872H · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20200229003759ICruise/Level Flight · Hatch, NMOn February 29, 2020, at 1705 MST, a Piper PA-31, N1872H, registered to aerospace trust management, LLC, had an in-flight engine failure and the nose landing gear collapsed during an emergency landing at Hatch Municipal Airport (E05), in Hatch, new Mexico,…Feb 29, 2020 · Minor damageIncident 20151029018009IRun-Up Area · Huntsville, ALPilot taxied to the runway and completed the engine run-up checks at the runway hold short line. When pulling the throttles back to idle after the run-up he heard a sound that was later determined to be fuel vapor igniting. At the time he didn?t know what it…Oct 29, 2015 · Minor damage