20030611011079I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Rock Springs, WY · June 11, 2003

Date: June 11, 2003 · 15:30 local
Place: Rock Springs, WY
Airport: Rock Springs Sweetwater Count
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N30764
Reported as: Beech A36
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,088 total900 in this make and model25 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) During the approach to landing, aircraft lost all electrical power. Aircraft made a fly by for ground personnel to visual see if the landing gear was down. The ground personnel told the pilot that the gear appeared to be down on his hand held radio. The aircraft was landing when the pilot heard a grinding noise and made a go around. At this time he hand cranked the gear to the down limits. The aircraft made the second landing but the left main gear collapsed on top on the left inboard gear door and the aircraft slid to a halt on the right side of the runway. Pilot secured fuel selector and switches before exiting the aircraft. Investigation of the incident revealed that the positive battery cable terminal broke in two, removing the battery and charging voltage from the electrical system.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING THE APPROACH TO LANDING, AIRCRAFT LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER. AIRCRAFT MADE A FLY BY FOR GROUND PERSONNEL TO VISUAL SEE IF THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN. THE GROUND PERSONNEL TOLD THE PILOT THAT THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN ON HIS HAND HELD RADIO. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDING WHEN THE PILOT HEARD A GRINDING NOISE AND MADE A GO AROUND. AT THIS TIME HE HAND CRANKED THE GEAR TO THE DOWN LIMITS. THE AIRCRAFT MADE THE SECOND LANDING BUT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED ON TOP ON THE LEFT INBOARD GEAR DOOR AND THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO A HALT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. PILOT SECURED FUEL SELECTOR AND SWITCHES BEFORE EXITING THE AIRCRAFT. INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT REVEALED THAT THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE TERMINAL BROKE IN TWO, REMOVING THE BATTERY AND CHARGING VOLTAGE FROM THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.