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20050308003859I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 402B · Rome, GA · March 8, 2005

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 8, 2005 · 14:30 local
Place
Rome, GA
Airport
Richard B Russell
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6396X
Reported as
Cessna 402B
Reported engine
Continental TSIO520*
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
2,283 total2,188 in this make and model34 in the last 90 days
N6396XRegistered now · Cessna 402BS/N 402B1355 · Built 1978Airframe modelCessna 402BEngine modelContinental TSIO-520 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 while over the runway on final approach, the aircraft "seemed to be settling lower than usual before touch down then she heard noises that she had never heard before then it occured to her that "the landing gear must have collapsed" and then she heard the horn blow. She stated that she attempted to "steer the aircraft off the runway to the left side." Post impact visual examination of the aircraft found the aircraft resting on its belly with the landing gear fully retracted and the gear doors closed. The landing gear circuit motor circuit breaker was tripped as was the landing gear warning circuit breaker. The warning breaker was manually tripped by the salvage crew. After the aircraft was raised and jacked the damage observed under the aircraft was found not to be consistent with that would have been caused if the landing gear had collapsed on landing. The landing gear doors were not damaged except for scraping on the flat surfaces that were exposed to the pavement during the skid consistent with the doors being fully closed when they contacted the ground. The landing gear retract linkage was damaged consistent with the type of damage that could result fromthe landing gear being in the down position while the aircraft was resting on its belly. The tires and wheels did not show any damage that suggested that they may have been subjected to contacting the pavement during a partial extension sequence as would happen if the gear had retracted during the landing. The damage to the underside of the aircraft was consistent with that that could occur during a landing where the aircraft made contact with pavement with the landing gear retracted and inconsistent with that that could occur had the landing gear collapsed during a landing. The landing gear motor circuit breaker was tripped which is consistent with what could happen had the motor been subjected to an overload such as that that could occur if the landing gear switch was moved to the down position while the weight of the aircraft is on the retracted or partially extended landing gear.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT STATED THAT WHILE OVER THE RUNWAY ON FINAL APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT "SEEMED TO BE SETTLING LOWER THAN USUAL BEFORE TOUCH DOWN THEN SHE HEARD NOISES THAT SHE HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE THEN IT OCCURED TO HER THAT "THE LANDING GEAR MUST HAVE COLLAPSED" AND THEN SHE HEARD THE HORN BLOW. SHE STATED THAT SHE ATTEMPTED TO "STEER THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE RUNWAY TO THE LEFT SIDE." POST IMPACT VISUAL EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT FOUND THE AIRCRAFT RESTING ON ITS BELLY WITH THE LANDING GEAR FULLY RETRACTED AND THE GEAR DOORS CLOSED. THE LANDING GEAR CIRCUIT MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS TRIPPED AS WAS THE LANDING GEAR WARNING CIRCUIT BREAKER. THE WARNING BREAKER WAS MANUALLY TRIPPED BY THE SALVAGE CREW. AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS RAISED AND JACKED THE DAMAGE OBSERVED UNDER THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND NOT TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED IF THE LANDING GEAR HAD COLLAPSED ON LANDING. THE LANDING GEAR DOORS WERE NOT DAMAGED EXCEPT FOR SCRAPING ON THE FLAT SURFACES THAT WERE EXPOSED TO THE PAVEMENT DURING THE SKID CONSISTENT WITH THE DOORS BEING FULLY CLOSED WHEN THEY CONTACTED THE GROUND. THE LANDING GEAR RETRACT LINKAGE WAS DAMAGED CONSISTENT WITH THE TYPE OF DAMAGE THAT COULD RESULT FROMTHE LANDING GEAR BEING IN THE DOWN POSITION WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS RESTING ON ITS BELLY. THE TIRES AND WHEELS DID NOT SHOW ANY DAMAGE THAT SUGGESTED THAT THEY MAY HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO CONTACTING THE PAVEMENT DURING A PARTIAL EXTENSION SEQUENCE AS WOULD HAPPEN IF THE GEAR HAD RETRACTED DURING THE LANDING. THE DAMAGE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONSISTENT WITH THAT THAT COULD OCCUR DURING A LANDING WHERE THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH PAVEMENT WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED AND INCONSISTENT WITH THAT THAT COULD OCCUR HAD THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DURING A LANDING. THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS TRIPPED WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT COULD HAPPEN HAD THE MOTOR BEEN SUBJECTED TO AN OVERLOAD SUCH AS THAT THAT COULD OCCUR IF THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH WAS MOVED TO THE DOWN POSITION WHILE THE WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT IS ON THE RETRACTED OR PARTIALLY EXTENDED LANDING GEAR.