# Incident 20111107029289I: Piper PA-44-180, Phoenix, AZ, November 7, 2011

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 7, 2011, 19:00 local time
- Place: Phoenix, AZ
- Airport: Deer Valley
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: FQAS
- Location: 33.4484° N, 112.0740° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Phoenix, AZ, within about 13 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4484&lon=-112.0740&mi=10
- Aircraft: N434PA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N434PA) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-44-180 (registry code 7104402, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-44-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-44-180
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 185 total, 7 in this make and model, 84 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20111107029289I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 11-07-2011 AT 1900 LOCAL TIME,TRANS PAC N434PA, PA-44-180, S/N 4496064 DECLARED AN EMERGENCY LANDING DUE TO A GEAR INDICATION THAT THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED. THE FLIGHT CREW ATTEMPTED NUMEROUS GEAR EXTENSIONS TO NO AVAIL, THEY ALSO PERFORMED FLY -BY'S OF THE DEER VALLEY TOWER TO OBTAIN A VISUAL FROM THE TOWER OF THE GEAR POSITION. THE FLIGHT  CONSISTED OF (1) INSTRUCTOR AND (2) STUDENT PILOTS. THE STUDENT PILOT RELINQUISHED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT TO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AFTER THE INITIAL ATTEMPT TO GET THE GEAR DOWN FAILED. THE INSTRUCTOR LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON RNWY 7R WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT OR INJURIES TO THE PASSENGERS. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE T/E OF THE R/H WING AND TO THE R/H ENGINE PROPELLAR BLADE TIPS. THE AIRFIELD DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE GEAR UP LANDING. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE BOLT ASSY FOR THE R/H MLG SCISSOR LINKS MIGRATED OUT CAUSING THE LINKS TO ROTATE AFT ONTO THE LOWER GEAR CUTOUT SHELF. THE T/E EDGE OF THE LINKS RESTING ON THE SHELF PREVENTED THE GEAR FROM COMING DOWN. THE R/H MLG STRUT WAS RECENTLY REPACKED DUE TO LEAKAGE, THE STRUT WAS REPACKED BY A 14 CFR PART 145 REPAIR STATION PER PIPER MM INSTUCTIONS.THE SCISSOR LINK BOLT IS SECURED BY A CASTLE NUT AND COTTER PIN PER THE MM.THE W/O FROM THE REPAIR STATION INDICATES THE MM WAS FOLLOWED AND THE CASTLE NUT AND COTTER PIN HAD BEEN INSTALLED.

## Other reports on N434PA (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20240731009559I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240731009559I), Jul 31, 2024: Piper PA-44-180 (N434PA), Casa Grande, AZ, Minor damage. The incident occurred during a simulated practice of a single-engine approach to landing. The flight instructor (CFI) reported being task-saturated and focused…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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