20130416007129I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bellanca 17-30 · Shafter, CA · April 16, 2013

Date: April 16, 2013 · 18:20 local
Place: Shafter, CA
Airport: Shafter-Minter Field
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4911V
Reported as: Bellanca 17-30
Reported engine: Continental IO-520 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 9,000 total5 in this make and model125 in the last 90 days

N4911VRegistration cancelled Mar 5, 2018 · Bellanca 17-30S/N 30075 · Built 1967 Airframe modelBellanca 17-30 Engine modelContinental IO-520 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.

On April 16, 2013, at approximately 1800 PST a Bellanca 300, N4911V encountered a gear up takeoff at the Shafter-minden airport ( kmit). At the time of the incident the aircraft was performing touch and go maneuvers. After the fifth landing, the student pilot inadvertently placed the landing gear handle in the up position while still on the surface as the plane was accelerating for the next takeoff. The flight instructor noticed that the aircraft was acting strangely. As a precaution the flight instructor retarded the throttle and then noticed that the gear handle was in the up position. The landing gear folded and the aircraft slid to a stop on the left shoulder of the runway. There were no injuries reported.

Note: this aircraft is not equipped with a squat switch on the landing gear to prevent inadvertent gear retraction with weight on the wheels.

As the FAA filed it

ON APRIL 16, 2013, AT APPROXIMATELY 1800 PST A BELLANCA 300, N4911V ENCOUNTERED A GEAR UP TAKEOFF AT THE SHAFTER-MINDEN AIRPORT ( KMIT). AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO MANEUVERS. AFTER THE FIFTH LANDING, THE STUDENT PILOT INADVERTENTLY PLACED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE IN THE UP POSITION WHILE STILL ON THE SURFACE AS THE PLANE WAS ACCELERATING FOR THE NEXT TAKEOFF. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR NOTICED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ACTING STRANGELY. AS A PRECAUTION THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RETARDED THE THROTTLE AND THEN NOTICED THAT THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE UP POSITION. THE LANDING GEAR FOLDED AND THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO A STOP ON THE LEFT SHOULDER OF THE RUNWAY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED.

NOTE: THIS AIRCRAFT IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A SQUAT SWITCH ON THE LANDING GEAR TO PREVENT INADVERTENT GEAR RETRACTION WITH WEIGHT ON THE WHEELS.