20091210053049I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Auburn, AL · December 10, 2009

Date
December 10, 2009 · 14:30 local
Place
Auburn, AL
Airport
Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6442N
Reported as
Beech A36
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
4,500 total135 in this make and model6 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.

Aircraft departed kcsg uneventfully enroute direct to kmbo. While in normal cruise flight at 6000 feet, the auto-pilot failed and the aircraft radios began to fail. Communication with atlanta center was lost. As all electrical power was lost, pilot made decision to divert toward nearest airport kauo, and declare an emergency. Pilot stated he manually lowered the landing gear by cranking till it felt as if he had cranked it to the stops. Upon touchdown the pilot felt the main gear was down and locked, but as the aircraft began to slow, the left main began to wobble and collapsed. Aircraft skidded to a stop. Pilot and passenger egressed with no injuries.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED KCSG UNEVENTFULLY ENROUTE DIRECT TO KMBO. WHILE IN NORMAL CRUISE FLIGHT AT 6000 FEET, THE AUTO-PILOT FAILED AND THE AIRCRAFT RADIOS BEGAN TO FAIL. COMMUNICATION WITH ATLANTA CENTER WAS LOST. AS ALL ELECTRICAL POWER WAS LOST, PILOT MADE DECISION TO DIVERT TOWARD NEAREST AIRPORT KAUO, AND DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. PILOT STATED HE MANUALLY LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR BY CRANKING TILL IT FELT AS IF HE HAD CRANKED IT TO THE STOPS. UPON TOUCHDOWN THE PILOT FELT THE MAIN GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED, BUT AS THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SLOW, THE LEFT MAIN BEGAN TO WOBBLE AND COLLAPSED. AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP. PILOT AND PASSENGER EGRESSED WITH NO INJURIES.