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20070122002499I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech E35 · El Cajon, CA · January 22, 2007

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 22, 2007 · 15:40 local
Place
El Cajon, CA
Airport
Gillespie Field Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3236C
Reported as
Beech E35
Reported engine
Continental E225*
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0

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 on approach to land, he had trouble hearing the radio and the lights in the cockpit did not seem to be working. He further stated that he could hear the landing gear motor when the gear was selected "down", but could not get a gear down and locked indication. He also stated that the flaps would not extend when selected down. Contact was made with the control tower via cellular phone and the controller advised the pilot that his landing gear appeared to be down. The landing approach was made and shortly after the aircraft touched down, the landing gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded to a stop without injury to the occupants. The aircraft came to rest with the nose landing gear retracted, the left main mostly down, and the right main mostly up (right wing low). All three propeller blades and the underside of the nose of the aircraft sustained damage. The wings, flight control surfaces, and engine firewall were not damaged. When the investigating inspector asked the pilot if he had tried to use the emergency gear extension crank to verify extension of the landing gear, the pilot indicated that he had not.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT STATED THAT ON APPROACH TO LAND, HE HAD TROUBLE HEARING THE RADIO AND THE LIGHTS IN THE COCKPIT DID NOT SEEM TO BE WORKING. HE FURTHER STATED THAT HE COULD HEAR THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR WHEN THE GEAR WAS SELECTED "DOWN", BUT COULD NOT GET A GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE FLAPS WOULD NOT EXTEND WHEN SELECTED DOWN. CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE CONTROL TOWER VIA CELLULAR PHONE AND THE CONTROLLER ADVISED THE PILOT THAT HIS LANDING GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN. THE LANDING APPROACH WAS MADE AND SHORTLY AFTER THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP WITHOUT INJURY TO THE OCCUPANTS. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST WITH THE NOSE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED, THE LEFT MAIN MOSTLY DOWN, AND THE RIGHT MAIN MOSTLY UP (RIGHT WING LOW). ALL THREE PROPELLER BLADES AND THE UNDERSIDE OF THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE. THE WINGS, FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES, AND ENGINE FIREWALL WERE NOT DAMAGED. WHEN THE INVESTIGATING INSPECTOR ASKED THE PILOT IF HE HAD TRIED TO USE THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION CRANK TO VERIFY EXTENSION OF THE LANDING GEAR, THE PILOT INDICATED THAT HE HAD NOT.