20090311002579I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32R-300 · Detroit, MI · March 11, 2009

Date: March 11, 2009 · 14:00 local
Place: Detroit, MI
Airport: Coleman A. Young Municipal
Phase of flight: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2679Q
Reported as: Piper PA32R300
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,757 total56 in this make and model76 in the last 90 days

N2679QRegistered now · Piper PA-32R-300S/N 32R-7780260 · Built 1977 Airframe modelPiper PA-32R-300

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) Flight from day to det at 1300 on approach the pilot put gear lever handle down. Two green lights (nose and left main) indicated, but gear unsafe warning light illuminated. No green light for right gear. The tower reconfirmed that the right main gear was at a 45 degree angle. The pilot then recycled the gear several times with same indication. The ammeter was indicating 70 amps and then the breaker popped. Breaker was pushed back in but the same scenario happened. The emergency gear extension checklist was then used, no help. The pilot then contacted a tech rep for more troubleshooting with no luck. The pilot decided to land on runway 33 to use the wind to keep the right wing up, once landed he veered off to the right into grass. No injuries to persons involved and minor damage to aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) FLIGHT FROM DAY TO DET AT 1300 ON APPROACH THE PILOT PUT GEAR LEVER HANDLE DOWN. TWO GREEN LIGHTS (NOSE AND LEFT MAIN) INDICATED, BUT GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. NO GREEN LIGHT FOR RIGHT GEAR. THE TOWER RECONFIRMED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. THE PILOT THEN RECYCLED THE GEAR SEVERAL TIMES WITH SAME INDICATION. THE AMMETER WAS INDICATING 70 AMPS AND THEN THE BREAKER POPPED. BREAKER WAS PUSHED BACK IN BUT THE SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED. THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION CHECKLIST WAS THEN USED, NO HELP. THE PILOT THEN CONTACTED A TECH REP FOR MORE TROUBLESHOOTING WITH NO LUCK. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 33 TO USE THE WIND TO KEEP THE RIGHT WING UP, ONCE LANDED HE VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT INTO GRASS. NO INJURIES TO PERSONS INVOLVED AND MINOR DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT.