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20110530012519I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28RT-201 · Toms River, NJ · May 30, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 30, 2011 · 15:55 local
Place
Toms River, NJ
Airport
Robert J. Miller Air Park
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N697LB
Reported as
Piper PA-28RT-201
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 SER A&C
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
386 total144 in this make and model24 in the last 90 days
N697LBRegistered now · Piper PA-28RT-201S/N 28R-7918112 · Built 1979Airframe modelPiper PA-28RT-201Engine modelLycoming I0360 SER A&CReciprocating

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.

AEA-FSDO-17 received a report that an aircraft had landed gear up at Robert j. Miller airpark (mjx). The aircraft, a Piper PA28-RT-201, serial number 28R-7918112, N697LB, departed old bridge airport (3N6) on may 30, 2011, and during climb out the landing gear failed to retract. The pilot cycled the landing gear switch several times in an attempt to get the landing gear either up or down, with no response. The pilot decided to proceed to Robert j. Miller airpark (mjx) and perform an emergency landing gear extension procedure. The pilot stated that he reviewed the POH for the emergency landing gear extension procedure and attempted the procedure several times to no avail. The pilot was in radio contact with ground personnel at mjx discussing the emergency landing gear procedures and making additional attempts to get the landing gear down and locked. The pilot circled the airport for approximately an hour before making an emergency landing on runway 24, approximately 1500 feet from the approach end of runway and slid approximately 500 feet down the runway. In addition, during the interview, the pilot stated that on a previous flight he experienced a similar problem with the landing gear and simply recycled the gear to correct it. Upon inspection, the aircraft's nose landing gear was fully extended and both main gears appeared to be partially extended. Further inspection revealed that the aircraft was resting upon the main wheel side walls. The aircraft sustained damaged to the trailing edge of the left flap and the tail tie down. In addition, both main tire side walls were scuffed. The landing gear power pack was removed and disassembled. The inspection revealed that one brush was stuck in its holder and not making contact with the commutator, rendering the landing gear power pack inoperative. In addition, the static pressure line to the automatic gear extension diaphragm was completely blocked making the emergency extension lever feel very stiff towards the end of its travel and give a false travel stop.

As the FAA filed it

AEA-FSDO-17 RECEIVED A REPORT THAT AN AIRCRAFT HAD LANDED GEAR UP AT ROBERT J. MILLER AIRPARK (MJX). THE AIRCRAFT, A PIPER PA28-RT-201, SERIAL NUMBER 28R-7918112, N697LB, DEPARTED OLD BRIDGE AIRPORT (3N6) ON MAY 30, 2011, AND DURING CLIMB OUT THE LANDING GEAR FAILED TO RETRACT. THE PILOT CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THE LANDING GEAR EITHER UP OR DOWN, WITH NO RESPONSE. THE PILOT DECIDED TO PROCEED TO ROBERT J. MILLER AIRPARK (MJX) AND PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE REVIEWED THE POH FOR THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE AND ATTEMPTED THE PROCEDURE SEVERAL TIMES TO NO AVAIL. THE PILOT WAS IN RADIO CONTACT WITH GROUND PERSONNEL AT MJX DISCUSSING THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR PROCEDURES AND MAKING ADDITIONAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE LANDING GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. THE PILOT CIRCLED THE AIRPORT FOR APPROXIMATELY AN HOUR BEFORE MAKING AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON RUNWAY 24, APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY AND SLID APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY. IN ADDITION, DURING THE INTERVIEW, THE PILOT STATED THAT ON A PREVIOUS FLIGHT HE EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE LANDING GEAR AND SIMPLY RECYCLED THE GEAR TO CORRECT IT. UPON INSPECTION, THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS FULLY EXTENDED AND BOTH MAIN GEARS APPEARED TO BE PARTIALLY EXTENDED. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS RESTING UPON THE MAIN WHEEL SIDE WALLS. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGED TO THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE LEFT FLAP AND THE TAIL TIE DOWN. IN ADDITION, BOTH MAIN TIRE SIDE WALLS WERE SCUFFED. THE LANDING GEAR POWER PACK WAS REMOVED AND DISASSEMBLED. THE INSPECTION REVEALED THAT ONE BRUSH WAS STUCK IN ITS HOLDER AND NOT MAKING CONTACT WITH THE COMMUTATOR, RENDERING THE LANDING GEAR POWER PACK INOPERATIVE.IN ADDITION, THE STATIC PRESSURE LINE TO THE AUTOMATIC GEAR EXTENSION DIAPHRAGM WAS COMPLETELY BLOCKED MAKING THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION LEVER FEEL VERY STIFF TOWARDS THE END OF ITS TRAVEL AND GIVE A FALSE TRAVEL STOP.