20030914023849I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28R-201T · Bremerton, WA · September 14, 2003

Date: September 14, 2003 · 09:15 local
Place: Bremerton, WA
Airport: Bremerton National
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3587M
Reported as: Piper PA28R201T
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 462 total260 in this make and model23 in the last 90 days

N3587MRegistered now · Piper PA-28R-201TS/N 28R-7803179 · Built 1978 Airframe modelPiper PA-28R-201T Engine modelContinental TSIO-360 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 stated that he got distracted while trying to locate reported traffic in the pattern and as a result failed to use a checklist or to verify gear down & lock indication. Pilot also stated that the gear warning horn went off just as he crossed the middle marker, he mentally associated the horn as the middle marker. Pilot stated that the automatic gear override was in the locked up position, as his normal procedure for departing out of vashon island is to override the gear so that he could retract the gear at a lower airspeed to clear the trees that are on the end of the runway.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT STATED THAT HE GOT DISTRACTED WHILE TRYING TO LOCATE REPORTED TRAFFIC IN THE PATTERN AND AS A RESULT FAILED TO USE A CHECKLIST OR TO VERIFY GEAR DOWN & LOCK INDICATION. PILOT ALSO STATED THAT THE GEAR WARNING HORN WENT OFF JUST AS HE CROSSED THE MIDDLE MARKER, HE MENTALLY ASSOCIATED THE HORN AS THE MIDDLE MARKER. PILOT STATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC GEAR OVERRIDE WAS IN THE LOCKED UP POSITION, AS HIS NORMAL PROCEDURE FOR DEPARTING OUT OF VASHON ISLAND IS TO OVERRIDE THE GEAR SO THAT HE COULD RETRACT THE GEAR AT A LOWER AIRSPEED TO CLEAR THE TREES THAT ARE ON THE END OF THE RUNWAY.