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20130724012479I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Paragould, AR · July 24, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 24, 2013 · 18:15 local
Place
Paragould, AR
Airport
Kirk Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N2029P
Reported as
Beech A36
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
8,000 total1,500 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N2029PRegistered now · Beech A36S/N E-1346 · Built 1978Airframe modelBeech A36Engine 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.

The airman was flying traffic pattern at Paragould, AR airport to runway 04. It was the fifth flight in past two hours. Adjustments to the fuel control had been made and the flight was to verify fuel flow indications. The fuel flow adjustment was satisfactory and there was no mechanical related cause in this incident.

While flying the traffic pattern, the airman stated he was monitoring the fuel control gauge. The indications were all normal so he was using the pattern as practice of the arrival profile for an upcoming trip to oshkosh which required a slower speed and higher traffic pattern altitude from standard pattern. The passenger, also a rated airman, was conversing throughout the flight about his previous oshkosh flight experience.

The airman was distracted by a combination of three things: monitoring the fuel flow indicator

The passenger in the aircraft

Flying a non-standard pattern

These three things in combination, resulted in the airman not verifying the gear was down prior to landing and failure to extend the gear prior to landing.

Airman stated he did not hear the gear horn and was not sure if it did sound off due to the additional power he was carrying prior to landing.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRMAN WAS FLYING TRAFFIC PATTERN AT PARAGOULD, AR AIRPORT TO RUNWAY 04. IT WAS THE FIFTH FLIGHT IN PAST TWO HOURS. ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FUEL CONTROL HAD BEEN MADE AND THE FLIGHT WAS TO VERIFY FUEL FLOW INDICATIONS. THE FUEL FLOW ADJUSTMENT WAS SATISFACTORY AND THERE WAS NO MECHANICAL RELATED CAUSE IN THIS INCIDENT.

WHILE FLYING THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE AIRMAN STATED HE WAS MONITORING THE FUEL CONTROL GAUGE. THE INDICATIONS WERE ALL NORMAL SO HE WAS USING THE PATTERN AS PRACTICE OF THE ARRIVAL PROFILE FOR AN UPCOMING TRIP TO OSHKOSH WHICH REQUIRED A SLOWER SPEED AND HIGHER TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE FROM STANDARD PATTERN. THE PASSENGER, ALSO A RATED AIRMAN, WAS CONVERSING THROUGHOUT THE FLIGHT ABOUT HIS PREVIOUS OSHKOSH FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.

THE AIRMAN WAS DISTRACTED BY A COMBINATION OF THREE THINGS: MONITORING THE FUEL FLOW INDICATOR

THE PASSENGER IN THE AIRCRAFT

FLYING A NON-STANDARD PATTERN

THESE THREE THINGS IN COMBINATION, RESULTED IN THE AIRMAN NOT VERIFYING THE GEAR WAS DOWN PRIOR TO LANDING AND FAILURE TO EXTEND THE GEAR PRIOR TO LANDING.

AIRMAN STATED HE DID NOT HEAR THE GEAR HORN AND WAS NOT SURE IF IT DID SOUND OFF DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL POWER HE WAS CARRYING PRIOR TO LANDING.