What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot reported he had descended through a hole in the cloud layer and was on a visual approach when he realized the landing gear had not been extended. During the distraction the aircraft stalled and contacted the ground. Two passengers were on board with no reported injuries by the passenger?s or pilot.
The aircraft was located approximately one half mile south and east of the approach end of runway 35. Marks on the ground and damage to the aircraft indicate the right wing impacted first, followed by five, similarly spaced scuff marks from fuselage impact. A total distance of about 150 feet from first ground scarring to the nose of the aircraft was measured by stepping off the distance. The direction of the ground scarring and where the aircraft came to rest showed the aircraft was traveling in a southwest direction. The aircraft came to rest against a stand of densely mixed vegetation. The vegetation included saplings with a height of 8 feet maximum and thorny vegetation. The growth appeared to stop the aircraft. The aircraft penetrated into the area of vegetation about 3 feet. The aircraft was upright and resting on its fuselage on a slight downward slope with the left outboard wing about 3 feet lower than the right.
Inspection of the aircraft where it came to rest, showed substantial damage to the fuselage with the aircraft skin wrinkled aft of the firewall on the left and right lower corners, forward and aft of the right door and near the empennage. Substantial damage was also evident at the left wing tip and aileron, right wing and aileron, with suspected right wing spar damage and the empennage excluding the vertical stabilizer. The propeller blades were bent aft and loose in the hub. The right upper engine mount attachment at the fuselage displayed a gap of about three eights of an inch between the nut flange and the engine mount that was apparently caused by the mount being pushed into the firewall.
The flight controls showed continuity with aircraft control surfaces and the fuel selector was in the ?both? Position. Landing gear control handle was in the up or gear retract position. When the master was turned on the left fuel gauge read full fuel and the right fuel gauge showed empty. Fuel levels were likely the result of the left wing being lower than the right with the fuel gravity feeding from the right tank to the left through the fuel selector valve. The aircraft total fuel level was at approximately 50 percent.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD DESCENDED THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CLOUD LAYER AND WAS ON A VISUAL APPROACH WHEN HE REALIZED THE LANDING GEAR HAD NOT BEEN EXTENDED. DURING THE DISTRACTION THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND CONTACTED THE GROUND. TWO PASSENGERS WERE ON BOARD WITH NO REPORTED INJURIES BY THE PASSENGER?S OR PILOT.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 35. MARKS ON THE GROUND AND DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THE RIGHT WING IMPACTED FIRST, FOLLOWED BY FIVE, SIMILARLY SPACED SCUFF MARKS FROM FUSELAGE IMPACT. A TOTAL DISTANCE OF ABOUT 150 FEET FROM FIRST GROUND SCARRING TO THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS MEASURED BY STEPPING OFF THE DISTANCE. THE DIRECTION OF THE GROUND SCARRING AND WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRAVELING IN A SOUTHWEST DIRECTION. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST AGAINST A STAND OF DENSELY MIXED VEGETATION. THE VEGETATION INCLUDED SAPLINGS WITH A HEIGHT OF 8 FEET MAXIMUM AND THORNY VEGETATION. THE GROWTH APPEARED TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT PENETRATED INTO THE AREA OF VEGETATION ABOUT 3 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UPRIGHT AND RESTING ON ITS FUSELAGE ON A SLIGHT DOWNWARD SLOPE WITH THE LEFT OUTBOARD WING ABOUT 3 FEET LOWER THAN THE RIGHT.
INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WHERE IT CAME TO REST, SHOWED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE FUSELAGE WITH THE AIRCRAFT SKIN WRINKLED AFT OF THE FIREWALL ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT LOWER CORNERS, FORWARD AND AFT OF THE RIGHT DOOR AND NEAR THE EMPENNAGE. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS ALSO EVIDENT AT THE LEFT WING TIP AND AILERON, RIGHT WING AND AILERON, WITH SUSPECTED RIGHT WING SPAR DAMAGE AND THE EMPENNAGE EXCLUDING THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE PROPELLER BLADES WERE BENT AFT AND LOOSE IN THE HUB. THE RIGHT UPPER ENGINE MOUNT ATTACHMENT AT THE FUSELAGE DISPLAYED A GAP OF ABOUT THREE EIGHTS OF AN INCH BETWEEN THE NUT FLANGE AND THE ENGINE MOUNT THAT WAS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY THE MOUNT BEING PUSHED INTO THE FIREWALL.
THE FLIGHT CONTROLS SHOWED CONTINUITY WITH AIRCRAFT CONTROL SURFACES AND THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE ?BOTH? POSITION. LANDING GEAR CONTROL HANDLE WAS IN THE UP OR GEAR RETRACT POSITION. WHEN THE MASTER WAS TURNED ON THE LEFT FUEL GAUGE READ FULL FUEL AND THE RIGHT FUEL GAUGE SHOWED EMPTY. FUEL LEVELS WERE LIKELY THE RESULT OF THE LEFT WING BEING LOWER THAN THE RIGHT WITH THE FUEL GRAVITY FEEDING FROM THE RIGHT TANK TO THE LEFT THROUGH THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE. THE AIRCRAFT TOTAL FUEL LEVEL WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 50 PERCENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N88NG · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.