20110826019439I

ON 8/26/2011, AIRMAN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, CERTIFICATE #^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, DEPARTED THE RICHMOND AIRPORT, WEST KINGSTON, RHODE ISLAND (08R) AT APPROXIMATELY 1030L DESTINED FOR THE GROTON-NEW LONDON, CT (KGON) AIRPORT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS PILOTING HIS OWN AIRCRAFT N6589K, A 1947 REPUBLIC RC-3 AMPHIBIAN AIRCRAFT KNOWN AS A "SEABEE". THE PURPOSE OF THIS SHORT FLIGHT WAS TO PARK N6589K IN A HANGAR MANAGED BY LANMAR AVIATION AT KGON. HURRICANE IRENE WAS FORECAST TO IMPACT THE RHODE ISLAND-CONNECTICUT AREA IN LESS THAN TWO DAYS AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD FOUND HANGAR SPACE AT KGON AND WANTED TO SHELTER HIS AIRCRAFT. THE WEATHER AT BOTH 08R AND KGON IN ADDITION TO THE ENROUTE WEATHER WAS VFR WITH LIGHT WINDS AT BOTH DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL AIRPORTS. WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THIS INCIDENT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FLIGHT PROGRESSED NORMALLY UNTIL HE CONTACTED THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AT KGON (CLASS "D" AIRSPACE.). THE CONTROL TOWER ADVISED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT THE LANDING RUNWAY WAS RUNWAY 33. HE WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WERE THREE OTHER AIRCRAFT INBOUND FOR THAT RUNWAY AND HE WOULD BE "NUMBER ONE" FOR RUNWAY 33. AS HE APPROACHED THE AIRPORT, TOWER TOLD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND THE OTHER AIRCRAFT THAT RUNWAY 23 WOULD NOW BE THE LANDING RUNWAY. AS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ APPROACHED RUNWAY 23, TOWER ADVISED HIM OF THE AIRPORT AIRCRAFT TRAFFIC AND THEIR RELATIVE POSITION TO HIM. THE AIRCRAFT THAT WAS BEHIND N6589K AND NEXT FOR RUNWAY 23 WAS ASKED BY THE TOWER IF HE HAD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AIRCRAFT IN SIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT RESPOND TO THE RADIO CALL FROM THE CONTROL TOWER AND THIS CAUGHT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ATTENTION, TO THE POINT OF BEING DISTRACTED. ALSO ON ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^' MIND AT THIS POINT WAS HIS BELIEF HE WOULD HAVE TO LAND AND BE ABLE TO TURN OFF AT TAXIWAY E, APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 23. IF HE DIDN'T MAKE THE TAXIWAY E TURNOFF, IT WOULD BE A LONG ROLLOUT TO THE NEXT TURNOFF. WITH HIS CONVENTIONAL (TAIL WHEEL) LANDING GEAR, HE WAS CONCERNED HE WOULD BE ON THE RUNWAY LONG ENOUGH THAT THE AIRCRAFT LANDING BEHIND HIM MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE A "GO-AROUND". HE DECIDED TO MODIFY HOW HE EXTENDED HIS FLAPS AND LANDING GEAR FROM HIS NORMAL METHOD TO SAVE SOME TIME. NORMALLY, HE WOULD PUSH HIS FLAP LEVER FORWARD AND PUMP HIS HYDRAULIC PUMP (RC-3 HYDRAULIC SYSTEM IS PRESSURIZED BY A MANUALLY OPERATED HAND PUMP) UNTIL THE FLAPS REACHED THE DESIRED POSITION AND THE PUMP WENT "HARD", MEANING YOU COULD NOT PHYSICALLY PUMP ANY FURTHER. THEN HE WOULD MOVE THE LANDING GEAR FORWARD TO THE "DOWN" POSITION AND MANUALLY ACTIVATE THE HYDRAULICS UNTIL THE PUMP WENT "HARD". ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ MODIFICATION TO THIS NORMAL FLAP AND GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE WAS TO PUSH BOTH THE FLAP AND LAND GEAR LEVERS FORWARD PRIOR TO ACTIVATING THE HYDRAULIC HAND PUMP. WHEN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BEGAN MANUALLY PUMPING THE HYDRAULIC PUMP, THE FLAPS WENT TO THEIR SELECTED POSITION AND THE PUMP WENT "HARD". THE LANDING GEAR DID NOT EXTEND AT ALL. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS UNAWARE OF THE LANDING GEAR ACTUAL POSITION DUE TO HIS FAILURE TO CHECK THE LANDING GEAR "DOWN" LIGHT (THE RC-3 HAS A VISUAL MEANS OF VERIFYING GEAR POSITION, UP OR DOWN, BUT DOES NOT HAVE AN AURAL WARNING SYSTEM). HE ALSO FAILED TO UTILIZE A "LANDING CHECKLIST". ON SHORT FINAL, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ MANUALLY ACTIVATED THE HYDRAULIC PUMP "A COUPLE OF CYCLES" (BUT NOT UNTIL THE PUMP HANDLE WENT "HARD"). HE SAID THIS IS A HABIT HE ALWAYS USES AS PART OF HIS LANDING PROCEDURE. IT SEEMS THAT THIS LAST ACTIVATION OF THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM EXTENDED THE GEAR OUT OF THE STOWED POSITION, BUT DID NOT PUT THE MAIN GEAR DOWN LOCKS IN AN "OVER-CENTERED" OR LOCKED POSITION. THE TAIL WHEEL DID EXTEND AND LOCK IN THE "DOWN" POSITION. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TOUCHED DOWN ON HIS EXTENDED TAIL WHEEL AND THEN HIS MAIN GEAR. HOWEVER, THE MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT SLID DOWN RUNWAY 23 ON ITS KEEL "SCRAPE" STRIP. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS NOT INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO ITS RIGHT FLOAT STRUT AND TO THE KE