20070915023289I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-24-250 · Bishop, CA · September 15, 2007

Date
September 15, 2007 · 17:00 local
Place
Bishop, CA
Airport
Eastern Sierra Regional
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6015P
Reported as
Piper PA24250
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,600 total1,350 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) During an interview conducted on September 18, 2007, the pilot stated he had just washed the aircraft and then had performed touch and go landings. The first touch and go was uneventful. The pilot stated during the second touch and go that he purposely left the gear handle in the down position so he would not have to slow up on approach. He observed a green light indicating the gear was down. On the attempted landing in gusty conditions, the plane bounced and on the subsequent ground contact, the gear was retracted. Inspection of the aircraft indicated the three bladed propeller had rotational damage with one blade being dislodged at the root. The lower surface of the fuselage exhibited longitudinal scrapes consistent with a gear up landing.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) DURING AN INTERVIEW CONDUCTED ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2007, THE PILOT STATED HE HAD JUST WASHED THE AIRCRAFT AND THEN HAD PERFORMED TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. THE FIRST TOUCH AND GO WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE PILOT STATED DURING THE SECOND TOUCH AND GO THAT HE PURPOSELY LEFT THE GEAR HANDLE IN THE DOWN POSITION SO HE WOULD NOT HAVE TO SLOW UP ON APPROACH. HE OBSERVED A GREEN LIGHT INDICATING THE GEAR WAS DOWN. ON THE ATTEMPTED LANDING IN GUSTY CONDITIONS, THE PLANE BOUNCED AND ON THE SUBSEQUENT GROUND CONTACT, THE GEAR WAS RETRACTED. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT INDICATED THE THREE BLADED PROPELLER HAD ROTATIONAL DAMAGE WITH ONE BLADE BEING DISLODGED AT THE ROOT. THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE FUSELAGE EXHIBITED LONGITUDINAL SCRAPES CONSISTENT WITH A GEAR UP LANDING.