20080228011429I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-30 · Lexington, KY · February 28, 2008

Date: February 28, 2008 · 18:44 local
Place: Lexington, KY
Airport: Blue Grass
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: NZZA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7656Y
Reported as: Piper PA30
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,100 total93 in this make and model80 in the last 90 days

N7656YRegistration cancelled Sep 9, 2015 · Piper PA-30S/N 30-734 · Built 1965 Airframe modelPiper PA-30 Engine modelLycoming IO-320 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) In a written statement from the pilot, he claims that the landing gear selector was in the down position prior to engine start. During the takeoff roll as the pilot rotated he claims he saw sparks and smelled smoke as the aircraft settled onto the runway. After exiting the aircraft the pilot looked into the cockpit and noted that the landing gear selector was not in the down position. The pilot stated that he does not know how it came to be out of the down position.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT FROM THE PILOT, HE CLAIMS THAT THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION PRIOR TO ENGINE START. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL AS THE PILOT ROTATED HE CLAIMS HE SAW SPARKS AND SMELLED SMOKE AS THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED ONTO THE RUNWAY. AFTER EXITING THE AIRCRAFT THE PILOT LOOKED INTO THE COCKPIT AND NOTED THAT THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR WAS NOT IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW IT CAME TO BE OUT OF THE DOWN POSITION.