# Incident 20120923022619I: Piper PA-24, Fernandina Beac, FL, September 23, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 23, 2012, 14:15 local time
- Place: Fernandina Beac, FL
- Airport: Fernandina Beach Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.6118° N, 81.4612° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FERNANDINA BEACH MUNI (FHB), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.6118&lon=-81.4612&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7059P, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7059P) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24 (registry code 7102402, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24) (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-24
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 845 total, 344 in this make and model, 14 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120923022619I

## Narrative

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

THE PIC MADE AN INTENTIONAL GEAR-UP LANDING ON CLOSED RWY 36 AFTER SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO FULLY EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR (THE GEAR WOULD ONLY EXTEND PART OF THE WAY).FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION OF THE ACFT BY THE PIC AND MX PERSONNEL AFTER REMOVAL OF THE ENGINE COWLING REVEALED THAT A SECTION OF THE LEFT-FRONT EXHAUST STACK ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED AND SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINE EXHAUSTS SYTEM, ALLOWING THE SECTION TO FALL DOWN INTO AN AREA WHERE IT PREVENTED THE NOSE GEAR FROM FULLY EXTENDING.SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE PART BY AN FAA INSPECTOR ON SITE CONFIRMED THAT THE PIPE SECTION HAD FAILED AND SEPARATED FROM THE STACK ASSY. THE FAILURE POINTS WERE AT THE #2 CYL EXHAUST JUNCTION WELD, AND AT THE SLIP JOINT END WHERE THE CROSSOVER PIPE PORTION JOINS THE RT-FRONT STACK ASSEMBLY. THE FAILURE POINTS EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE AND EROSION  IN THE PIPE INTERIOR. THE EXTERIOR BETWEEN THE TWO FAILURE POINTS WAS SMOOTH AND CLEAN AND DID NOT EXHIBIT ANY VISIBLE EVIDENCE OF CORROSION OR FATIGUE.NO DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE WAS REPORTEDLY FOUND IN THE ACFT MX RECORDS AS TO THE AGE OF THE EXHAUST STACK ASSY OR ITS OPERATING HISTORY (FLT HOURS).  THE PIC ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REPORTED THAT THE LAST LIKELY REPLACEMENT OF THE PART MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED ABOUT 1,100 HRS AGO, DURING THE LAST ENGINE OVHL IN JANUARY 2000.

## Other reports on N7059P (4)

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

- [Accident 20240116001979A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240116001979A), Jan 16, 2024: Piper PA-24 (N7059P), Hugo, OK, Substantial damage. Pilot stated that after departure from when gear up was selected, gear started to retract then the circuit breaker popped, and retraction stopped. Pilot then…
- [Incident 20080125013489I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080125013489I), Jan 25, 2008: Piper PA24 (N7059P), Fernandina Bea, FL, Minor damage. (-23) Pilot stated that he was distracted talking to his passengers and forgot to extend the landing gear.
- [Accident 19990422019569A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990422019569A), Apr 22, 1999: Piper PA24180 (N7059P), Fernandina Beac, FL, Substantial damage. On April 22, 1999, about 1925 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-180, N7059P, registered to mcgill aircraft corporation, was landed gear up at the Fernandina…
- [Accident 19840426016209A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19840426016209A), Apr 26, 1984: Piper PA24 (N7059P), Valdosta, GA, Substantial damage. Pilot forgot to lower landing gear during biennial flight review.

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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