20080504847339I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · CULVER PQ-14B · Chenoa, IL · May 4, 2008

Date: May 4, 2008 · 16:10 local
Place: Chenoa, IL
Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N75380
Reported as: CULVERPQ14B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,000 total2 in this make and model2 in the last 90 days

N75380Registered now · Superior CULVER PQ-14BS/N N-427 Airframe modelSuperior CULVER PQ-14B Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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) Upon takeoff from a 2600 foot grass rla, the pilot could not get the aircraft to climb. The aircraft bounced 5 times in a freshly planted corn field off of the end of the runway. During one of the bounces, the link from the landing gear motor to the landing gear bellcrank failed. The aircraft became airborne and the pilot attempted to raise the landing gear. The landing gear did not retract and did not indicate down and locked. The pilot tried to use the emergency gear extension without success. After approximately 30 minutes of flight, the pilot landed on the same runway as departed. All of the landing gear collapsed and the aircraft came to a stop on its belly. This incident is closed with this report.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) UPON TAKEOFF FROM A 2600 FOOT GRASS RLA, THE PILOT COULD NOT GET THE AIRCRAFT TO CLIMB. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED 5 TIMES IN A FRESHLY PLANTED CORN FIELD OFF OF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. DURING ONE OF THE BOUNCES, THE LINK FROM THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR TO THE LANDING GEAR BELLCRANK FAILED. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO RAISE THE LANDING GEAR. THE LANDING GEAR DID NOT RETRACT AND DID NOT INDICATE DOWN AND LOCKED. THE PILOT TRIED TO USE THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION WITHOUT SUCCESS. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES OF FLIGHT, THE PILOT LANDED ON THE SAME RUNWAY AS DEPARTED. ALL OF THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP ON ITS BELLY. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED WITH THIS REPORT.