20030727024669I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Blanca 14192 · Visalia, CA · July 27, 2003

Date: July 27, 2003 · 22:10 local
Place: Visalia, CA
Airport: Visalia Municipal
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9805B
Reported as: Blanca 14192
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,086 total230 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N9805BRegistered now · Downer BELLANCA 14-19-2S/N 4057 · Built 1958 Airframe modelDowner BELLANCA 14-19-2 Engine modelContinental O-470 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 was practicing night landings and was making what was planned his last landing. Had made several normal three point landings successfully, nad lastly performed a no-flap wheel landing. Approach speed was higher than previous. Pilot saw the gear down green light come on signalling over center position of the gear and then released the hydraulic pressure valve. Made a smooth wheel landing but moments later the aircraft began to settle and the prop struck the pavement with the engine power at idle.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT WAS PRACTICING NIGHT LANDINGS AND WAS MAKING WHAT WAS PLANNED HIS LAST LANDING. HAD MADE SEVERAL NORMAL THREE POINT LANDINGS SUCCESSFULLY, NAD LASTLY PERFORMED A NO-FLAP WHEEL LANDING. APPROACH SPEED WAS HIGHER THAN PREVIOUS. PILOT SAW THE GEAR DOWN GREEN LIGHT COME ON SIGNALLING OVER CENTER POSITION OF THE GEAR AND THEN RELEASED THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE VALVE. MADE A SMOOTH WHEEL LANDING BUT MOMENTS LATER THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE AND THE PROP STRUCK THE PAVEMENT WITH THE ENGINE POWER AT IDLE.