20020618012459I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna P210N · Pinedale, WY · June 18, 2002

Date: June 18, 2002 · 09:45 local
Place: Pinedale, WY
Airport: Ralph Wenz Field Airport
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N731QG
Reported as: Cessna P210N
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,800 total2,354 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N731QGRegistered now · Cessna P210NS/N P21000525 · Built 1980 Airframe modelCessna P210N Engine modelContinental TSIO-520 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) This aircraft had just received an annual inspection. During the preflight inspection the pilot failed to notice the gear handle was not in the down position. The pilot turned on the master switch and said the gear indicator light indicated green (gear was down and locked) he then started the aircraft and proceeded to taxi. After his runup and checks he started his take-off roll and as the nose of the aircraft was rotated for take-off, the safety switch on the nose gear scissor was actuated and (since the gear handle was in the up position) the nose gear started to retract. The pilot heard this noise and not sure what was happening let the nose settle. This let the prop strike the runway causing damage to the prop and nose gear doors.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THIS AIRCRAFT HAD JUST RECEIVED AN ANNUAL INSPECTION. DURING THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION THE PILOT FAILED TO NOTICE THE GEAR HANDLE WAS NOT IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE PILOT TURNED ON THE MASTER SWITCH AND SAID THE GEAR INDICATOR LIGHT INDICATED GREEN (GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED) HE THEN STARTED THE AIRCRAFT AND PROCEEDED TO TAXI. AFTER HIS RUNUP AND CHECKS HE STARTED HIS TAKE-OFF ROLL AND AS THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS ROTATED FOR TAKE-OFF, THE SAFETY SWITCH ON THE NOSE GEAR SCISSOR WAS ACTUATED AND (SINCE THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE UP POSITION) THE NOSE GEAR STARTED TO RETRACT. THE PILOT HEARD THIS NOISE AND NOT SURE WHAT WAS HAPPENING LET THE NOSE SETTLE. THIS LET THE PROP STRIKE THE RUNWAY CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE PROP AND NOSE GEAR DOORS.