20090325009869I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Dougla TA4J · Topeka, KS · March 25, 2009

Date: March 25, 2009 · 15:00 local
Place: Topeka, KS
Airport: Forbes Field
Phase of flight: Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N252WL
Reported as: Dougla TA4J
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 20,006 total2,250 in this make and model86 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) The pilot was participating with an air refueling test with a Boeing company tanker in N252WL, a Douglas TA-4 skyhawk, when he experienced a total electrical failure. The pilot deployed the ram air turbine generator decided to terminate testing and load return fuel when the ram air turbine also failed. The pilot elected to land at Topeka international airport (kfoe) and prepared for landing. Due to the inoperative landing gear annunciator system, the pilot decided to assure the landing gear was down and safe by activating the landing gear emergency deployment system. However, he selected an identical adjacent handle which jettisoned the empty external fuel tanks. The tanks landed in an open field causing no collateral damage or environmental hazard.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT WAS PARTICIPATING WITH AN AIR REFUELING TEST WITH A BOEING COMPANY TANKER IN N252WL, A DOUGLAS TA-4 SKYHAWK, WHEN HE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE PILOT DEPLOYED THE RAM AIR TURBINE GENERATOR DECIDED TO TERMINATE TESTING AND LOAD RETURN FUEL WHEN THE RAM AIR TURBINE ALSO FAILED. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND AT TOPEKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KFOE) AND PREPARED FOR LANDING. DUE TO THE INOPERATIVE LANDING GEAR ANNUNCIATOR SYSTEM, THE PILOT DECIDED TO ASSURE THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN AND SAFE BY ACTIVATING THE LANDING GEAR EMERGENCY DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM. HOWEVER, HE SELECTED AN IDENTICAL ADJACENT HANDLE WHICH JETTISONED THE EMPTY EXTERNAL FUEL TANKS. THE TANKS LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD CAUSING NO COLLATERAL DAMAGE OR ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD.