OpenAirDocs.org

20110429007379I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Piper PA-30 · St. Petersburg, FL · April 29, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
April 29, 2011 · 16:03 local
Place
St. Petersburg, FL
Airport
Albert Whitted Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7760Y
Reported as
Piper PA-30
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
39,504 total400 in this make and model47 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 April 29, 2011, prior to takeoff from the St. Petersburg airport (spg), the pilot tried to start aircraft N7760Y engines however, the aircraft battery did not have sufficient power to rotate the starter. The pilot requested and received a 12 volt jump start from the fix base operator (FBO) at the airport, but the power source was not sufficient to perform the engine start operation. The pilot then connected a 24 volt power source to the aircraft electrical system and used it to start the aircraft engines. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft loss electrical power and the pilot return to spg for landing. He contact the tower and informed the controller that the aircraft had loss electrical power and requested a visual inspection of the landing gear to make sure they were down and locked. During the landing phase of flight, he stated that the tower gave him a red light but he did not see it before touching down. Shortly after touchdown on the runway, the landing gear collapsed which caused the lower section of the fuselage to come in contact with the runway causing minor damage to the undercarriage and landing gear doors.

As the FAA filed it

ON APRIL 29, 2011, PRIOR TO TAKEOFF FROM THE ST. PETERSBURG AIRPORT (SPG), THE PILOT TRIED TO START AIRCRAFT N7760Y ENGINES HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT BATTERY DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT POWER TO ROTATE THE STARTER. THE PILOT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A 12 VOLT JUMP START FROM THE FIX BASE OPERATOR (FBO) AT THE AIRPORT, BUT THE POWER SOURCE WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO PERFORM THE ENGINE START OPERATION. THE PILOT THEN CONNECTED A 24 VOLT POWER SOURCE TO THE AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND USED IT TO START THE AIRCRAFT ENGINES. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE AIRCRAFT LOSS ELECTRICAL POWER AND THE PILOT RETURN TO SPG FOR LANDING. HE CONTACT THE TOWER AND INFORMED THE CONTROLLER THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD LOSS ELECTRICAL POWER AND REQUESTED A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE DOWN AND LOCKED. DURING THE LANDING PHASE OF FLIGHT, HE STATED THAT THE TOWER GAVE HIM A RED LIGHT BUT HE DID NOT SEE IT BEFORE TOUCHING DOWN. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN ON THE RUNWAY, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED WHICH CAUSED THE LOWER SECTION OF THE FUSELAGE TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND LANDING GEAR DOORS.