# Incident 20051119030269I: Piper PA32RT300, Franklin, NC, November 19, 2005

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 19, 2005, 10:30 local time
- Place: Franklin, NC
- Airport: Macon County Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.2223° N, 83.4200° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MACON COUNTY (1A5), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.2223&lon=-83.4200&mi=10
- Aircraft: N31721, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N31721) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32RT-300 (registry code 7103215, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32rt-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32RT300
- Reported engine: LYC IO540*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 193 total, 128 in this make and model, 18 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20051119030269I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON 11/19/05 AT 1320LCL SPOKE TO THE PIC ^PRIVACY DA^ ON THE PHONE. HE STATED THAT ON 11/18/05 HE WAS RETURNING FROM THE BEACH AND LANDED AT LINCOLN COUNTY (IPJ). ON ARRIVAL HE FELT A VIBRATION AND THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN A TIRE GOING FLAT. HE DID A WALK AROUND AND FOUND NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. 11/19/05 HE DEPARTED IPJ FOR MACON COUNTY (1A5). ON DEPARTURE HE COULD NOT GET THE RED GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT TO EXTINGUISH. HE STATED HE PLAYED WITH THE GEAR AND GOT THE LIGHT OUT. HE CONTINUED TO 1A5. ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 25 HE STATED HE EXTENDED THE GEAR AND GOT A GREEN. AT ABOUT THE POINT OF TOUCH DOWN HE REALIZED THEN THAT THERE WAS NO NOSE GEAR DOWN AND THE NOSE SUNK AND THE PROP STRUCK THE GROUND. HE RAISED THE NOSE AND LANDED ON THE BELLY. HE STATED THAT WHEN HE WAS NEAR THE GROUND HE HEARD A VIBRATION AGAIN. ON 11/21/05 HE FAXED IN A STATEMENT SIMILAR IN NATURE WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT "...AROUND 1000FT I PULLED THE LEVER TO RAISE THE GEAR AND THE RED WARNING LIGHT WOULD NOT GO OUT, SO I LOWERED THE GEAR AND RAISED ON SECOND TRY LIGHT WENT OUT." UPON LANDING I DID THE GUMPS CHECK AND GOT THE 123 GREEN LIGHT. UPON LANDING I SEEMED TO ROLL 10 FT AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PLANE DIPPED DOWN. UPON LANDING I SEEMED TO ROLL 10FT AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PLANE DIPPED DOWN AND THE RIGHT AND THE RIGHT AND I SAW THE PROP STRIKE THE GROUND SO I RAISED THE NOSE AND SLID TO A STOP." ON 11/21/2005 THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ CAME IN THE OFFICE AND INTERVIEWED WITH AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTOR, ^PRIVACY DATA OMIT^ DURING THAT INTERVIEW IT WAS RECORDED THAT DURING THE VISUAL APPROACH AT MACON COUNTY AIRPORT HE EXTENDED THE LANDING GEAR. HE REMEMBERS SEEING THE GREEN LIGHTS. THE GEAR WOULD COME DOWN AUTOMATICALLY AT 106 KNOTS IF THE PILOT FORGOT IT. ON TOUCH DOWN HIS LEFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THEN HIS RIGHT GEAR. HE ALSO SAW THE PROP ALREADY STRUCK THE GROUND. HE HELD THE NOSE WHEEL SLIGHTLY OFF THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED ON THE CENTERLINE. 12/14/2005 RECORD OF CONVERSATION THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ STATED "HE HAD GONE OVER IT IN HIS MIND OVER AND OVER." HE STATED "HE FELT GOOD THAT WHEN THEY PICKED UP THE AIRCRAFT THE GEAR CAME DOWN AND THEY CYCLED THE GEAR A COUPLE OF TIMES AND IT WAS OK." HE THOUGHT THAT MAYBE HE HAD NOT PUT THE GEAR DOWN BUT FEELS THAT EVEN IF HE HAD FORGOT THE GEAR WOULD COME DOWN AUTOMATIC. HE FEELS THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THE AUTO EXTENDER. POST INCIDENT MAINTENANCE CHECK OF GEAR SYSTEM DEMONSTRATES THAT THE GEAR RESPONDS TO THE LEVER POSITION HOWEVER THE GEAR WARNING HORN SYSTEM AND THE BACK-UP AUTO EXTEND SYSTEM DID NOT FUNCTION AS PER PIPER MAINTENANCE MANUAL.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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