20040331019529I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-160 · Galveston, TX · March 31, 2004

Date: March 31, 2004 · 16:50 local
Place: Galveston, TX
Airport: Scholes Field Airport
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N1FK
Reported as: Piper PA23160
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,200 total100 in this make and model70 in the last 90 days

N1FKRegistration cancelled Sep 14, 2007 · Piper PA-23-160S/N 23-1848 · Built 1960 Airframe modelPiper PA-23-160 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 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) While performing engine out procedures at altitude, the left engine was shut down. All subsequent attempts to restart the left engine failed. The pilot elected to land with only the right engine operative. Upon landing rollout, the aircraft landing gear collapsed. Further examination revealed that this particular model of aircraft had only 1 hydraulic pump which is powered by the left hand engine. The landing gear for this aircraft is hydraulically actuated. When the landing gear was selected down there was apparently enough pressure to unlock and deploy the landing gear but not enough pressure to lock the landing gear in the down position. Damage to the aircraft was limited to the bottom of the left aileron skin, the left and right propellers, the landing gear fairings/doors and the bottom of the left engine cowl.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WHILE PERFORMING ENGINE OUT PROCEDURES AT ALTITUDE, THE LEFT ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN. ALL SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE LEFT ENGINE FAILED. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND WITH ONLY THE RIGHT ENGINE OPERATIVE. UPON LANDING ROLLOUT, THE AIRCRAFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL OF AIRCRAFT HAD ONLY 1 HYDRAULIC PUMP WHICH IS POWERED BY THE LEFT HAND ENGINE. THE LANDING GEAR FOR THIS AIRCRAFT IS HYDRAULICALLY ACTUATED. WHEN THE LANDING GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN THERE WAS APPARENTLY ENOUGH PRESSURE TO UNLOCK AND DEPLOY THE LANDING GEAR BUT NOT ENOUGH PRESSURE TO LOCK THE LANDING GEAR IN THE DOWN POSITION. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT AILERON SKIN, THE LEFT AND RIGHT PROPELLERS, THE LANDING GEAR FAIRINGS/DOORS AND THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT ENGINE COWL.