What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 06/25/2011 at the Rantoul, IL airport (tip) a Piper PA-28R-201 landed gear up. The pilotprivacy data omitted holder of a private pilot certificate # privacy data omitted was at the controls with one passenger on board. After take off the pilot selected the landing gear to the up position. The pilot noticed a gear unsafe light after selecting the gear up. The pilot then attempted several times to cycle the gear without sucess. A decision was made by the pilot to perform an emergency gear up landing back at Rantoul. The aircraft suffered considerable structrual damage from the belly in landing and damage was further aggravated by the left wing impacting and knocking off a runway light and post. The airport manager who responded to the accident indicated that he looked in the cockpit when he arrived on the scene and took photographs and he observed the gear handle in what he describes as a mid position, neither all the way up or down. The aircraft was recovered from the runway by lifting it onto a trailer and supported by old auto tiresand placed in the FBO hangar. This inspector arrived at the FBO hangar and begun an investigation of the aircraft and the damage to it as well as troubleshooting the main landing gear failure to retract issue. The aircraft was lifted off the trailer using aircraft jacks and the trailer was removed. A more detailed examination of the damage was then conducted resulting in the findings of structrual damage thereby classifying this as an accident. The aicraft was powered up and the landing gear was selected to the down position, the only reaction to the gear being selected down was the audible sound of the solenoid engaging but the gear did not move nor did the gear pump operate. An inspection was made of the gear motor which showed that the motor brushes we completely destroyed, all that remained was dust and debris from the brushes. At this point the gear emergency lever was actuated and all three landing gear deployed smoothly and rapidly into the down and locked position with a visual indication of three in the green in the cockpit. The aircraft was then lowered to its gear after double checking the gear for security. An interview with the pilot was conducted before and after the actual work on the aircraft and the pilot stated that he did not follow the check list, which was on board, nor did he think to try the emergency gear handle before commiting to langing with the gear up. The aircraft was in current annual inspection and his regulatory pilot recurrent events were met.
As the FAA filed it
ON 06/25/2011 AT THE RANTOUL, IL AIRPORT (TIP) A PIPER PA-28R-201 LANDED GEAR UP. THE PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOLDER OF A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE # ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS AT THE CONTROLS WITH ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD.AFTER TAKE OFF THE PILOT SELECTED THE LANDING GEAR TO THE UP POSITION. THE PILOT NOTICED A GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT AFTER SELECTING THE GEAR UP. THE PILOT THEN ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO CYCLE THE GEAR WITHOUT SUCESS. A DECISION WAS MADE BY THE PILOT TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY GEAR UP LANDING BACK AT RANTOUL. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED CONSIDERABLE STRUCTRUAL DAMAGE FROM THE BELLY IN LANDING AND DAMAGE WAS FURTHER AGGRAVATED BY THE LEFT WING IMPACTING AND KNOCKING OFF A RUNWAY LIGHT AND POST. THE AIRPORT MANAGER WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT INDICATED THAT HE LOOKED IN THE COCKPIT WHEN HE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE AND TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS AND HE OBSERVED THE GEAR HANDLE IN WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS A MID POSITION, NEITHER ALL THE WAY UP OR DOWN.THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE RUNWAY BY LIFTING IT ONTO A TRAILER AND SUPPORTED BY OLD AUTO TIRESAND PLACED IN THE FBO HANGAR.THIS INSPECTOR ARRIVED AT THE FBO HANGAR AND BEGUN AN INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE DAMAGE TO IT AS WELL AS TROUBLESHOOTING THE MAIN LANDING GEAR FAILURE TO RETRACT ISSUE.THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED OFF THE TRAILER USING AIRCRAFT JACKS AND THE TRAILER WAS REMOVED. A MORE DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE DAMAGE WAS THEN CONDUCTED RESULTING IN THE FINDINGS OF STRUCTRUAL DAMAGE THEREBY CLASSIFYING THIS AS AN ACCIDENT. THE AICRAFT WAS POWERED UP AND THE LANDING GEAR WAS SELECTED TO THE DOWN POSITION, THE ONLY REACTION TO THE GEAR BEING SELECTED DOWN WAS THE AUDIBLE SOUND OF THE SOLENOID ENGAGING BUT THE GEAR DID NOT MOVE NOR DID THE GEAR PUMP OPERATE. AN INSPECTION WAS MADE OF THE GEAR MOTOR WHICH SHOWED THAT THE MOTOR BRUSHES WE COMPLETELY DESTROYED, ALL THAT REMAINED WAS DUST AND DEBRIS FROM THE BRUSHES.AT THIS POINT THE GEAR EMERGENCY LEVER WAS ACTUATED AND ALL THREE LANDING GEAR DEPLOYED SMOOTHLY AND RAPIDLY INTO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION WITH A VISUAL INDICATION OF THREE IN THE GREEN IN THE COCKPIT.THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN LOWERED TO ITS GEAR AFTER DOUBLE CHECKING THE GEAR FOR SECURITY. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTED BEFORE AND AFTER THE ACTUAL WORK ON THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT FOLLOW THE CHECK LIST, WHICH WAS ON BOARD, NOR DID HE THINK TO TRY THE EMERGENCY GEAR HANDLE BEFORE COMMITING TO LANGING WITH THE GEAR UP. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN CURRENT ANNUAL INSPECTION AND HIS REGULATORY PILOT RECURRENT EVENTS WERE MET.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N4106Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.