20030602010609I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA34200T · Baxley, GA · June 2, 2003

Date: June 2, 2003 · 23:00 local
Place: Baxley, GA
Airport: Baxley Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N147FL
Reported as: Piper PA34200T
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 9,300 total124 in this make and model87 in the last 90 days

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) The aircraft departed from (ksyi) shelbyville, TN enroute to (kbhc) Baxley, GA. The pilot elected to fly a standard pattern with a 45 deg downwind entry for runway 8. The pilot stated he reduced airspeed and placed the gear handle in down position. At the same time, he states he continued to attempt positive visual identification of runway 8, and was distracted from confirming three green lights. The pilot stated that they then turned final and lowered the flaps and no indication of unsafe gear or warning horn was noted. As the aircraft settled the right propeller struck the ground and the pilot attempted to initiate a go around but the aircraft settled onto the runway gearup, sliding approximately halfway down the runway causing damage to both propellers and the rails on the belly of the fuselage.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM (KSYI) SHELBYVILLE, TN ENROUTE TO (KBHC) BAXLEY, GA. THE PILOT ELECTED TO FLY A STANDARD PATTERN WITH A 45 DEG DOWNWIND ENTRY FOR RUNWAY 8. THE PILOT STATED HE REDUCED AIRSPEED AND PLACED THE GEAR HANDLE IN DOWN POSITION. AT THE SAME TIME, HE STATES HE CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT POSITIVE VISUAL IDENTIFICATION OF RUNWAY 8, AND WAS DISTRACTED FROM CONFIRMING THREE GREEN LIGHTS. THE PILOT STATED THAT THEY THEN TURNED FINAL AND LOWERED THE FLAPS AND NO INDICATION OF UNSAFE GEAR OR WARNING HORN WAS NOTED. AS THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED THE RIGHT PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO INITIATE A GO AROUND BUT THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED ONTO THE RUNWAY GEARUP, SLIDING APPROXIMATELY HALFWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY CAUSING DAMAGE TO BOTH PROPELLERS AND THE RAILS ON THE BELLY OF THE FUSELAGE.