# Incident 20081017855949I: Piper PA44180, Orlando, FL, October 17, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 17, 2008, 20:18 local time
- Place: Orlando, FL
- Airport: Orlando Sanford International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.7772° N, 81.2349° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ORLANDO SANFORD INTL (SFB), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.7772&lon=-81.2349&mi=10
- Aircraft: N855AV, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N855AV) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-44-180 (registry code 7104402, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-44-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA44180
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,334 total, 100 in this make and model, 80 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20081017855949I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT WERE DOING SCHEDULED NIGHT TRAFFIC PATTERN OPERATIONS.  AFTER COMPLETING 15 TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS ON RWY 9R, STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR AGREED UPON AND REQUESTED A RUNWAY CHANGE TO A FULL-STOP LANDING ON RWY 36.  THE LANDING GEAR HAD ALREADY BEEN LOWERED PRIOR TO REQUESTING THE RUNWAY CHANGE, AND WHEN THE TOWER GAVE THEM NEW INSTRUCTIONS TO MANEUVER IN THE PATTERN FOR RWY 36, THE INSTRUCTOR ELECTED TO RAISE THE LANDING GEAR IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE DRAG AND TO HELP TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE FOR THE NOW-NECESSARY EXTENSION OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN.  THE SECTOR OF THE AIRPORT IN WHICH THE APPROACH TO RWY 36 WAS MADE WAS IN AN AREA OF DARKNESS AND LITTLE GROUND LIGHTING FOR REFERENCE AND DEPTH PERCEPTION.  THE INSTRUCTOR ESTIMATES THAT THE LINE-UP TO THE FINAL APPROACH WAS MADE AT 2-3 MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY.  SINCE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD IN SIGHT AT THIS POINT, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO FLY THE APPROACH WITH FLAPS UP AT 100 KNOTS IAS, AND TO DELAY DESCENT UNTIL GLIDE PATH REFERENCES WERE OBTAINED.  DESCENT WAS COMMENCED WHILE MAINTAINING THE AIRSPEED OF 100 KTS WHILE BOTH PILOTS WERE STILL TRYING TO GET THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD IN SIGHT.  WHEN THE RUNWAY NUMBERS AND 1000-FT MARKERS

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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