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20130202001729I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28R-200 · Lake Havasu, AZ · February 2, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 2, 2013 · 19:50 local
Place
Lake Havasu, AZ
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N55586
Reported as
Piper PA-28R-200
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,000 total10 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days
N55586Registration cancelled Mar 25, 2019 · Piper PA-28R-200S/N 28R-7335253 · Built 1973Airframe modelPiper PA-28R-200Engine modelLycoming I0360 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.

An examination of photographs, a mechanic's report, and discussions with a manager of Havasu aircenter and the owner of the flight school which owns the aircraft all indicate that the damage to the aircraft was minor and consistent with a gear-up landing. The observed damage includes:

1. All three hartzell prop tips evidence impact damage and curl aft

2. Abrasion to aircraft belly

3. Nose gear doors and aft actuator attachment show abrasion

4. Txspnonder, DME, and adf antennas show damage

5. Inboard flap skin shows abrasion damage

6. Lower step surfaces show damage

A test of the landing gear, after the incident, demonstrated that the landing gear was operational.

Both the manager of Havasu air center, and the owner of the flight school which rented the aircraft, state that the pilot told them that he forgot to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown.

The pilot left for a planned 3 week vacation to thailand. As a result, this office is unable to contact the pilot.

This report will be closed without the benefit of the pilot's statement.

When the pilot has returned his statement will be solicited and this report will be amended as appropriate.

5/9/2013 - Pilot was contacted, and stated that he had departed from north las vegas (vgt) the morning of the incident. Upon arriving at Lake Havasu, the pilot circled over the london bridge and then entered the pattern for runway 32 on a '45' for the downwind leg. He stated that he did several 'gumpss' checks (a historic aviation mnemonic acromym the letters of which stand for gasoline, undercarriage, mixture, propeller, seatbelts and switches) checks but only touched the gear handle without placing it in the proper position and checking the position indicator lights.

He realized on his final flair that he had not extended the landing gear. He and his passenger evacuated the aircraft immediately. When he established that he and his passengers had sustained no injuries and that there was no immediate danger of fire, he announced on the CTAF that there was a disabled aircraft on the runway and ensured that the aircraft was properly shut-down and secured.

privacy data omitted Did not use a printed checklist prior to landing with the landing gear retracted.

privacy data omitted Has, since the incident, flown several times with his instructor .

As the FAA filed it

AN EXAMINATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS, A MECHANIC'S REPORT, AND DISCUSSIONS WITH A MANAGER OF HAVASU AIRCENTER AND THE OWNER OF THE FLIGHT SCHOOL WHICH OWNS THE AIRCRAFT ALL INDICATE THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS MINOR AND CONSISTENT WITH A GEAR-UP LANDING. THE OBSERVED DAMAGE INCLUDES:

1. ALL THREE HARTZELL PROP TIPS EVIDENCE IMPACT DAMAGE AND CURL AFT

2. ABRASION TO AIRCRAFT BELLY

3. NOSE GEAR DOORS AND AFT ACTUATOR ATTACHMENT SHOW ABRASION

4. TXSPNONDER, DME, AND ADF ANTENNAS SHOW DAMAGE

5. INBOARD FLAP SKIN SHOWS ABRASION DAMAGE

6. LOWER STEP SURFACES SHOW DAMAGE

A TEST OF THE LANDING GEAR, AFTER THE INCIDENT, DEMONSTRATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS OPERATIONAL.

BOTH THE MANAGER OF HAVASU AIR CENTER, AND THE OWNER OF THE FLIGHT SCHOOL WHICH RENTED THE AIRCRAFT, STATE THAT THE PILOT TOLD THEM THAT HE FORGOT TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN.

THE PILOT LEFT FOR A PLANNED 3 WEEK VACATION TO THAILAND. AS A RESULT, THIS OFFICE IS UNABLE TO CONTACT THE PILOT.

THIS REPORT WILL BE CLOSED WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF THE PILOT'S STATEMENT.

WHEN THE PILOT HAS RETURNED HIS STATEMENT WILL BE SOLICITED AND THIS REPORT WILL BE AMENDED AS APPROPRIATE.

5/9/2013 - PILOT WAS CONTACTED, AND STATED THAT HE HAD DEPARTED FROM NORTH LAS VEGAS (VGT) THE MORNING OF THE INCIDENT. UPON ARRIVING AT LAKE HAVASU, THE PILOT CIRCLED OVER THE LONDON BRIDGE AND THEN ENTERED THE PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 32 ON A '45' FOR THE DOWNWIND LEG. HE STATED THAT HE DID SEVERAL 'GUMPSS' CHECKS (A HISTORIC AVIATION MNEMONIC ACROMYM THE LETTERS OF WHICH STAND FOR GASOLINE, UNDERCARRIAGE, MIXTURE, PROPELLER, SEATBELTS AND SWITCHES) CHECKS BUT ONLY TOUCHED THE GEAR HANDLE WITHOUT PLACING IT IN THE PROPER POSITION AND CHECKING THE POSITION INDICATOR LIGHTS.

HE REALIZED ON HIS FINAL FLAIR THAT HE HAD NOT EXTENDED THE LANDING GEAR. HE AND HIS PASSENGER EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY. WHEN HE ESTABLISHED THAT HE AND HIS PASSENGERS HAD SUSTAINED NO INJURIES AND THAT THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE DANGER OF FIRE, HE ANNOUNCED ON THE CTAF THAT THERE WAS A DISABLED AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY AND ENSURED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS PROPERLY SHUT-DOWN AND SECURED.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DID NOT USE A PRINTED CHECKLIST PRIOR TO LANDING WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED.

^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAS, SINCE THE INCIDENT, FLOWN SEVERAL TIMES WITH HIS INSTRUCTOR .