20020621013209I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-39 · Watsonville, CA · June 21, 2002

Date: June 21, 2002 · 12:30 local
Place: Watsonville, CA
Airport: Watsonville Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N8974Y
Reported as: Piper PA39
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 11,415 total8,610 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

N8974YRegistration cancelled May 6, 2019 · Piper PA-39S/N 39-140 · Built 1972 Airframe modelPiper PA-39 Engine modelLycoming IO-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) Departed Watsonville at 1105 PDT VFR enroute to napa, CA. Enroute to napa, CA. Aircraft developed an electrical system failure at approximately 1130. Returned to Watsonville, CA. Placed the landing gear handle in the down position, but amps were at 7.1 and failed to get the gear handle down and locked. The pilot tried to hand crank the gear down, but was unable to extend the gear full down. Therefore, at approximately 1230 PDT the pilot landed the aircraft with the landing gear partially extended. There was damage to the propellers and the lower fuselage.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DEPARTED WATSONVILLE AT 1105 PDT VFR ENROUTE TO NAPA, CA. ENROUTE TO NAPA, CA. AIRCRAFT DEVELOPED AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE AT APPROXIMATELY 1130. RETURNED TO WATSONVILLE, CA. PLACED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE IN THE DOWN POSITION, BUT AMPS WERE AT 7.1 AND FAILED TO GET THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN AND LOCKED. THE PILOT TRIED TO HAND CRANK THE GEAR DOWN, BUT WAS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR FULL DOWN. THEREFORE, AT APPROXIMATELY 1230 PDT THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE LANDING GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLERS AND THE LOWER FUSELAGE.