20060319004319I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Frederick, MD · March 19, 2006

Date: March 19, 2006 · 14:30 local
Place: Frederick, MD
Airport: Frederick Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N63868
Reported as: Piper PA23250
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,100 total500 in this make and model60 in the last 90 days

N63868Registration cancelled Apr 14, 2020 · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-7854020 · Built 1978 Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250 Engine modelLycoming IO-540 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) On approach, the landing gear failed to extend properly. Repeated attempts failed leaving the left main extended and the right main and nose gear retracted. The pilot made an emergency landing with minimal damage. Investigation revealed that a landing gear hydraulic line had been cut by an aileron cable causing the hydraulic fluid to dump overboard. The last maintenance performed on the aircraft was approximately 100 hours before this flight. At that time, work was performed in the cockpit area with the interior removed. It is believed that someone probably leaned or stepped on insulation by the right door frame which pushed the hydraulic line down into contact with the aileron cable. An m or d report was filed to address this matter.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON APPROACH, THE LANDING GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND PROPERLY. REPEATED ATTEMPTS FAILED LEAVING THE LEFT MAIN EXTENDED AND THE RIGHT MAIN AND NOSE GEAR RETRACTED. THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A LANDING GEAR HYDRAULIC LINE HAD BEEN CUT BY AN AILERON CABLE CAUSING THE HYDRAULIC FLUID TO DUMP OVERBOARD. THE LAST MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 100 HOURS BEFORE THIS FLIGHT. AT THAT TIME, WORK WAS PERFORMED IN THE COCKPIT AREA WITH THE INTERIOR REMOVED. IT IS BELIEVED THAT SOMEONE PROBABLY LEANED OR STEPPED ON INSULATION BY THE RIGHT DOOR FRAME WHICH PUSHED THE HYDRAULIC LINE DOWN INTO CONTACT WITH THE AILERON CABLE. AN M OR D REPORT WAS FILED TO ADDRESS THIS MATTER.