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20100921048529I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna T337G · Tonopah, NV · September 21, 2010

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 21, 2010 · 19:15 local
Place
Tonopah, NV
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N11WS
Reported as
Cessna T337G
Reported engine
Continental IO-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,200 total350 in this make and model11 in the last 90 days
N11WSRegistered now · Cessna T337GS/N P3370017Airframe modelCessna T337GEngine modelContinental IO-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

Approximately 3 miles out from ktph the pilot lowered the landing gear; it partially extended, and did not lock and the indicating system did not show the landing gear down and locked. After asking his passenger to confirm the right hand landing gear was extended the pilot tried retracting the landing gear and the system did not respond. The pilot radioed ktph UNICOM to request a visual verification from the ground by conducting a fly by. Personnel on the ground visually verified the left hand main landing gear was partially down and did not appear locked. The pilot spent approximately 45 minutes trying to get the gear to cycle up or down. The pilot tried steep turns both directions, hard right and hard left rudder, pumping gear down manually, resetting circuit breaker; and gear would not change from the partially extended position. The pilot had to land with the gear partially extended. He stated he cut the throttle and mixture just before touchdown. The plane landed smoothly, straight in line with the runway, the first several hundred feet. The right gear and nose gear were locked in place, and the left side slowly settled onto its belly as speed dropped. The plane then gradually slid off the runway, to the left, and came to a stop approximately two hundred feet off the runway, in the dirt. The pilot then completed shutoff of the master switch, magnetos, and fuel.

As the FAA filed it

APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES OUT FROM KTPH THE PILOT LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR; IT PARTIALLY EXTENDED, AND DID NOT LOCK AND THE INDICATING SYSTEM DID NOT SHOW THE LANDING GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. AFTER ASKING HIS PASSENGER TO CONFIRM THE RIGHT HAND LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED THE PILOT TRIED RETRACTING THE LANDING GEAR AND THE SYSTEM DID NOT RESPOND. THE PILOT RADIOED KTPH UNICOM TO REQUEST A VISUAL VERIFICATION FROM THE GROUND BY CONDUCTING A FLY BY. PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND VISUALLY VERIFIED THE LEFT HAND MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS PARTIALLY DOWN AND DID NOT APPEAR LOCKED. THE PILOT SPENT APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES TRYING TO GET THE GEAR TO CYCLE UP OR DOWN. THE PILOT TRIED STEEP TURNS BOTH DIRECTIONS, HARD RIGHT AND HARD LEFT RUDDER, PUMPING GEAR DOWN MANUALLY, RESETTING CIRCUIT BREAKER; AND GEAR WOULD NOT CHANGE FROM THE PARTIALLY EXTENDED POSITION. THE PILOT HAD TO LAND WITH THE GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED. HE STATED HE CUT THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE PLANE LANDED SMOOTHLY, STRAIGHT IN LINE WITH THE RUNWAY, THE FIRST SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET. THE RIGHT GEAR AND NOSE GEAR WERE LOCKED IN PLACE, AND THE LEFT SIDE SLOWLY SETTLED ONTO ITS BELLY AS SPEED DROPPED. THE PLANE THEN GRADUALLY SLID OFF THE RUNWAY, TO THE LEFT, AND CAME TO A STOP APPROXIMATELY TWO HUNDRED FEET OFF THE RUNWAY, IN THE DIRT. THE PILOT THEN COMPLETED SHUTOFF OF THE MASTER SWITCH, MAGNETOS, AND FUEL.