# Incident 20090831015299I: Piper PA44180, Merced, CA, August 31, 2009

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 31, 2009, 09:50 local time
- Place: Merced, CA
- Airport: Castle
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: SRJS
- Location: 37.3805° N, 120.5682° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CASTLE (MER), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3805&lon=-120.5682&mi=10
- Aircraft: N694CB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N694CB-2019-05-06) (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
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 245 total, 2 in this make and model, 79 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090831015299I

## Narrative

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

(-23)  AFTER ACCOMPLISHING THREE TOUCN-N-GO'S UNEVENTFULLY, THE AIRCRAFT WAS ACCOMPLISHING ITS FOURTH TOUCH-N-GO WHEN THE PILOT SLOWLY LOWERED THE NOSE DOWN AND REALIZED THAT THE ENGINE PROPELLERS WERE CONTACTING THE GROUND.  THE AIRCRAFT SLED ABOUT 400 FEET AND THE CREW EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY.  MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TOWED THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE RUNWAY AND REALIZED THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED.  AFTER POSITIVELY LOCKING AND CHECKING ALL THE GEARS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO TOW TO THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY.  MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL JACKED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND EVERYTHING WORKING AS REQUIRED BY THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL. THIS INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON THE GEAR SYSTEM WAS PREPARED TO OPERATE IN THE UP POSITION.  THIS WAS EVIDENT BY THE "J-HOOKS" OF THE MAIN GEAR WERE NOT IN THE OVER-CENTER LOCK POSITION DURING TOW.  THIS GEAR OPERATES BY HYDRAULIC POWER WITH ELECTRICAL SWITCHES TO OPERATE LIGHTS AND SIGNALS TO SHUT-OFF ELECTRICAL MOTORS FOR HYDRAULIC PRESSURE.  THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR HAD PRESSURE ON THE UP-SIDE OF THE ACTUATOR GIVING RESISTANCE TO EXTEND THE NOSE GEAR FOR TOW.  HOWEVER, THE CREW INSISTED THAT THEY DIDN'T SELECT GEAR UP AND THEN DOWN AGAIN.

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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