20121221028989I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Socata TB-20 TRINIDAD · San Marcos, TX · December 21, 2012

Date: December 21, 2012 · 16:24 local
Place: San Marcos, TX
Airport: San Marcos
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N292V
Reported as: Socata TB-20 Trinidad
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,851 total1,300 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

N292VRegistered now · Socata TB-20 TRINIDADS/N 1815 · Built 1997 Airframe modelSocata TB-20 TRINIDAD Engine modelLycoming IO-540 seriesReciprocating

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.

Pilot had normal take off on climb out reported to tower low battery reading. Pilot requested immediate return back to airport.

On final approach tried unsuccessfully to lower gear in normal manner and position flaps for landing. Flaps did not extend past five degrees due to loss of electrics.

Used emergency system to lower gear but had no gear lights indicating gear was down and in the locked position.

Upon landing main gear contacted runway and felt normal. As nose wheel rotated into contact with runway excessive nose wheel vibration was noticed. As aircraft slowed down nosewheel collapsed causing prop strikes. Aircraft sustained damage to forward belly section nose wheel well doors and propeller.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT HAD NORMAL TAKE OFF ON CLIMB OUT REPORTED TO TOWER LOW BATTERY READING. PILOT REQUESTED IMMEDIATE RETURN BACK TO AIRPORT.

ON FINAL APPROACH TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO LOWER GEAR IN NORMAL MANNER AND POSITION FLAPS FOR LANDING. FLAPS DID NOT EXTEND PAST FIVE DEGREES DUE TO LOSS OF ELECTRICS.

USED EMERGENCY SYSTEM TO LOWER GEAR BUT HAD NO GEAR LIGHTS INDICATING GEAR WAS DOWN AND IN THE LOCKED POSITION.

UPON LANDING MAIN GEAR CONTACTED RUNWAY AND FELT NORMAL. AS NOSE WHEEL ROTATED INTO CONTACT WITH RUNWAY EXCESSIVE NOSE WHEEL VIBRATION WAS NOTICED. AS AIRCRAFT SLOWED DOWN NOSEWHEEL COLLAPSED CAUSING PROP STRIKES. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO FORWARD BELLY SECTION NOSE WHEEL WELL DOORS AND PROPELLER.