# Incident 20020514012679I: Piper PA31350, Huntsville, AL, May 14, 2002

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 14, 2002, 08:00 local time
- Place: Huntsville, AL
- Airport: Huntsville International-Carl T Jones
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Idling Engines
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.6372° N, 86.7751° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at HUNTSVILLE INTL-CARL T JONES FLD (HSV), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.6372&lon=-86.7751&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1872H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1872H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31-350 (registry code 7103110, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31350
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 12,000 total, 1,300 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020514012679I

## Narrative

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

(-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 20200229003759I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200229003759I), Feb 29, 2020: Piper PA-31-350 (N1872H), Hatch, NM, Minor damage. On 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…
- [Incident 20151029018009I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20151029018009I), Oct 29, 2015: Piper PA-31-350 (N1872H), Huntsville, AL, Minor damage. Pilot 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…

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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