20060724013279I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr Lancairivp · Helena, MT · July 24, 2006

Date: July 24, 2006 · 08:04 local
Place: Helena, MT
Airport: Helena Regional Airport
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N543DS
Reported as: Amtr Lancairivp
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,210 total1,800 in this make and model50 in the last 90 days

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) Aircraft lost all electrical power after take-off, 30 miles from the Helena Regional Airport (hln). Pilot returned to hln and had to hand-pump the gear down. No indication of gear down-and-locked was noted as there was no electrical power for the indicator lights. Left-hand (l/h) main gear collapsed during landing, causing minor damage to l/h wingtip. Ground crew was able to extend and lock l/h gear during recovery. Pilot stated he must not have pumped gear down fully. Maintenance found that main battery solenoid had failed to open. Primary cause appears to be failure to fully extend gear during emergency extension.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER AFTER TAKE-OFF, 30 MILES FROM THE HELENA REGIONAL AIRPORT (HLN). PILOT RETURNED TO HLN AND HAD TO HAND-PUMP THE GEAR DOWN. NO INDICATION OF GEAR DOWN-AND-LOCKED WAS NOTED AS THERE WAS NO ELECTRICAL POWER FOR THE INDICATOR LIGHTS. LEFT-HAND (L/H) MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LANDING, CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO L/H WINGTIP. GROUND CREW WAS ABLE TO EXTEND AND LOCK L/H GEAR DURING RECOVERY. PILOT STATED HE MUST NOT HAVE PUMPED GEAR DOWN FULLY. MAINTENANCE FOUND THAT MAIN BATTERY SOLENOID HAD FAILED TO OPEN. PRIMARY CAUSE APPEARS TO BE FAILURE TO FULLY EXTEND GEAR DURING EMERGENCY EXTENSION.