20100102026249I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-34-200T · Torrance, CA · January 2, 2010

Date
January 2, 2010 · 12:58 local
Place
Torrance, CA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N44730
Reported as
Piper PA-34-200T
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
0 total0 in this make and model0 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.

On jan 2, 2010 jon mowatt pnf (pilot not flying) was giving flight instruction to brent nelson pf (pilot flying) in N44730 seneca ii aircraft. They were performing touch-and-go's at Torrance airport (ktoa). They had made 2 normal landings previously and were planning on a full stop on this 4th landing. On the downwind leg they put the gear handle down and got 3 green lights indicating all landing gear down and locked. They made a normal landing on the last 1/3 of the threshold with 30 degrees flaps. The main wheels sat down first and then the nose just kept coming down. The pilot maintained control of the aircraft as the plane skidded on its nose until it came to a complete stop.

As the FAA filed it

ON JAN 2, 2010 JON MOWATT PNF (PILOT NOT FLYING) WAS GIVING FLIGHT INSTRUCTION TO BRENT NELSON PF (PILOT FLYING) IN N44730 SENECA II AIRCRAFT. THEY WERE PERFORMING TOUCH-AND-GO'S AT TORRANCE AIRPORT (KTOA). THEY HAD MADE 2 NORMAL LANDINGS PREVIOUSLY AND WERE PLANNING ON A FULL STOP ON THIS 4TH LANDING. ON THE DOWNWIND LEG THEY PUT THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN AND GOT 3 GREEN LIGHTS INDICATING ALL LANDING GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. THEY MADE A NORMAL LANDING ON THE LAST 1/3 OF THE THRESHOLD WITH 30 DEGREES FLAPS. THE MAIN WHEELS SAT DOWN FIRST AND THEN THE NOSE JUST KEPT COMING DOWN. THE PILOT MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AS THE PLANE SKIDDED ON ITS NOSE UNTIL IT CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP.