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20101216054429I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-32R-301T · Panama City Bea, FL · December 16, 2010

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 16, 2010 · 10:00 local
Place
Panama City Bea, FL
Airport
Northwest Florida Beaches Inte
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8471B
Reported as
Piper PA-32R-301T
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
3,240 total626 in this make and model58 in the last 90 days
N8471BRegistered now · Piper PA-32R-301TS/N 32R-8229012 · Built 1981Airframe modelPiper PA-32R-301TEngine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

A Piper saratoga, PA-32-301R, inbound to destin, Florida had a failure of the left aft nose landing gear door actuating arm which jammed and prevented the nose gear from extending. The aircraft departed winter haven, Florida with three people onboard but diverted to Northwest Florida Beaches international airport (kecp) in Panama city beach. The pilot stated that he flew around for an hour trying to get the nose gear to extend. He induced stall buffets, performed nose up and down maneuvers and steep turns trying to get the nose gear down. Kecp tower then directed him to perform an emergency landing on taxiway delta to prevent damaging a runway. The pilot flew a visual approach to the taxiway and cut fuel just prior to touchdown, trying to stop the propeller prior to its impacting the ground. The aircraft came to a stop on the taxiway, resting on two propeller blades and the main landing gear. In addition to the broken gear door arm and the damage to the prop, the exhaust pipe was bent and there was slight damage to the lower cowling. When the aircraft was lifted and the jammed arm was dislodged, the nose gear fully extended and locked in the down position.

As the FAA filed it

A PIPER SARATOGA, PA-32-301R, INBOUND TO DESTIN, FLORIDA HAD A FAILURE OF THE LEFT AFT NOSE LANDING GEAR DOOR ACTUATING ARM WHICH JAMMED AND PREVENTED THE NOSE GEAR FROM EXTENDING. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA WITH THREE PEOPLE ONBOARD BUT DIVERTED TO NORTHWEST FLORIDA BEACHES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KECP) IN PANAMA CITY BEACH. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FLEW AROUND FOR AN HOUR TRYING TO GET THE NOSE GEAR TO EXTEND. HE INDUCED STALL BUFFETS, PERFORMED NOSE UP AND DOWN MANEUVERS AND STEEP TURNS TRYING TO GET THE NOSE GEAR DOWN. KECP TOWER THEN DIRECTED HIM TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON TAXIWAY DELTA TO PREVENT DAMAGING A RUNWAY.THE PILOT FLEW A VISUAL APPROACH TO THE TAXIWAY AND CUT FUEL JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, TRYING TO STOP THE PROPELLER PRIOR TO ITS IMPACTING THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP ON THE TAXIWAY, RESTING ON TWO PROPELLER BLADES AND THE MAIN LANDING GEAR.IN ADDITION TO THE BROKEN GEAR DOOR ARM AND THE DAMAGE TO THE PROP, THE EXHAUST PIPE WAS BENT AND THERE WAS SLIGHT DAMAGE TO THE LOWER COWLING. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED AND THE JAMMED ARM WAS DISLODGED, THE NOSE GEAR FULLY EXTENDED AND LOCKED IN THE DOWN POSITION.