20061004028549I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Utica, NY · October 4, 2006

Date: October 4, 2006 · 22:33 local
Place: Utica, NY
Airport: Oneida County
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: EZ9A
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N81544
Reported as: Beech A36
Reported engine: Continental IO550B
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,341 total4,000 in this make and model55 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 on approach to alb on Wednesday night 10/4/06 at about 20:40 and the landing gear would not go down. Pilot requested vectors away from alb, and request was granted. During this time pilot tried to sort out problem. He contacted his maintenance base at uca, and with help from mechanic tried cycling, and manually extended the gear. Manual operation seemed to be bound up. The decision was made to fly back to uca and after many more attempts without success, the pilot decided to land gear up. The aircraft landed with minimal damage to the bottom of fuselage and flaps. The prop was hit and had bent blades. The runway was closed for a few hours while the aircraft was lifted and moved to the maintenance area. Investigation into the problem found that the landing gear motor had failed, and would not rotate, causing the landing gear not to extend.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AIRCRAFT ON APPROACH TO ALB ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT 10/4/06 AT ABOUT 20:40 AND THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT GO DOWN. PILOT REQUESTED VECTORS AWAY FROM ALB, AND REQUEST WAS GRANTED. DURING THIS TIME PILOT TRIED TO SORT OUT PROBLEM. HE CONTACTED HIS MAINTENANCE BASE AT UCA, AND WITH HELP FROM MECHANIC TRIED CYCLING, AND MANUALLY EXTENDED THE GEAR. MANUAL OPERATION SEEMED TO BE BOUND UP. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO FLY BACK TO UCA AND AFTER MANY MORE ATTEMPTS WITHOUT SUCCESS, THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND GEAR UP. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF FUSELAGE AND FLAPS. THE PROP WAS HIT AND HAD BENT BLADES. THE RUNWAY WAS CLOSED FOR A FEW HOURS WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED AND MOVED TO THE MAINTENANCE AREA. INVESTIGATION INTO THE PROBLEM FOUND THAT THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR HAD FAILED, AND WOULD NOT ROTATE, CAUSING THE LANDING GEAR NOT TO EXTEND.