20020523011309I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-160 · Enterprise, AL · May 23, 2002

Date: May 23, 2002 · 10:00 local
Place: Enterprise, AL
Airport: Enterprise Municipal
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4113P
Reported as: Piper PA23160
Pilot’s flight hours: 9,675 total

N4113PRegistration cancelled Oct 30, 2021 · Piper PA-23-160S/N 23-1592 Airframe modelPiper PA-23-160 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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) Pilot operating aircraft N4113P in the traffic pattern at the engerprise municipal airport, stated "lowering the landing gear, verified the landing gear in transit, three green lights, and a visual check on the side mirror." Followed by a gear up landing. The crew talked through and repeated before landing call outs but never actually executing. The before landing check list was never used, complacency in the cockpit led to the gear up landing. On site investigation revealed that the landing gear was never extended due to the following factors: 1. The propellers were evenly, and severely bent backwards. 2. The landing gear doors were not damaged at all. 3. The trailing edges of both flaps were ground down. 4. There was not wear on the exposed tire area; maintenance inspected, and cycled the landing gear several times, and found to be operating normal.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT OPERATING AIRCRAFT N4113P IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT THE ENGERPRISE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, STATED "LOWERING THE LANDING GEAR, VERIFIED THE LANDING GEAR IN TRANSIT, THREE GREEN LIGHTS, AND A VISUAL CHECK ON THE SIDE MIRROR." FOLLOWED BY A GEAR UP LANDING. THE CREW TALKED THROUGH AND REPEATED BEFORE LANDING CALL OUTS BUT NEVER ACTUALLY EXECUTING. THE BEFORE LANDING CHECK LIST WAS NEVER USED, COMPLACENCY IN THE COCKPIT LED TO THE GEAR UP LANDING. ON SITE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS NEVER EXTENDED DUE TO THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: 1. THE PROPELLERS WERE EVENLY, AND SEVERELY BENT BACKWARDS. 2. THE LANDING GEAR DOORS WERE NOT DAMAGED AT ALL. 3. THE TRAILING EDGES OF BOTH FLAPS WERE GROUND DOWN. 4. THERE WAS NOT WEAR ON THE EXPOSED TIRE AREA; MAINTENANCE INSPECTED, AND CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR SEVERAL TIMES, AND FOUND TO BE OPERATING NORMAL.