20090714011009I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA28RT201 · Tooele, UT · July 14, 2009

Date: July 14, 2009 · 11:00 local
Place: Tooele, UT
Airport: Bolinder Field-Tooele Valley
Phase of flight: Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N29557
Reported as: Piper PA28RT201
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 286 total26 in this make and model45 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) Pilot was performing steep spiral manuevers in preparation for his commercial checkride while waiting for the traffic pattern to clear. Once the pattern was cleared pilot entered traffic pattern. Pilot stated that he heard the gear horn going off but had heard in so much while performing the manuevers that he blocked it out. During his flare he heard a scraping sound and thought he had struck the tail of the aircraft. Pilot immediately performed go around procedure. During cleanup pilot noticed that his gear was still up. Pilot cycled the gear and got three green lights and landed uneventfully.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT WAS PERFORMING STEEP SPIRAL MANUEVERS IN PREPARATION FOR HIS COMMERCIAL CHECKRIDE WHILE WAITING FOR THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO CLEAR. ONCE THE PATTERN WAS CLEARED PILOT ENTERED TRAFFIC PATTERN. PILOT STATED THAT HE HEARD THE GEAR HORN GOING OFF BUT HAD HEARD IN SO MUCH WHILE PERFORMING THE MANUEVERS THAT HE BLOCKED IT OUT. DURING HIS FLARE HE HEARD A SCRAPING SOUND AND THOUGHT HE HAD STRUCK THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT. PILOT IMMEDIATELY PERFORMED GO AROUND PROCEDURE. DURING CLEANUP PILOT NOTICED THAT HIS GEAR WAS STILL UP. PILOT CYCLED THE GEAR AND GOT THREE GREEN LIGHTS AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY.