20131010021659I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell P-63F · Midland, TX · October 10, 2013

Date: October 10, 2013 · 13:30 local
Place: Midland, TX
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N6763
Reported as: Bell P-63F
Reported engine: Allison V1710 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,600 total750 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N6763Registration cancelled Jul 18, 2023 · Bell P-63FS/N 296E1-1R · Built 1946 Airframe modelBell P-63F Engine modelAllison V1710 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 fuel selector linkage had been worked on because it was binding, making it difficult to switch fuel tanks. The write-up was cleared by maintenance, but the pilot could not switch fuel tanks during this flight and diverted into an alternate airport. During the divert and precautionary landing, the pilot failed to slow the airplane in the decent and had excess speed on the approach. This caused him to delay extending the landing gear until he dissipated excess airspeed. The delay did not allow sufficient time to fully cycle the landing gear, which collapsed upon landing.

As the FAA filed it

THE FUEL SELECTOR LINKAGE HAD BEEN WORKED ON BECAUSE IT WAS BINDING, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SWITCH FUEL TANKS. THE WRITE-UP WAS CLEARED BY MAINTENANCE, BUT THE PILOT COULD NOT SWITCH FUEL TANKS DURING THIS FLIGHT AND DIVERTED INTO AN ALTERNATE AIRPORT. DURING THE DIVERT AND PRECAUTIONARY LANDING, THE PILOT FAILED TO SLOW THE AIRPLANE IN THE DECENT AND HAD EXCESS SPEED ON THE APPROACH. THIS CAUSED HIM TO DELAY EXTENDING THE LANDING GEAR UNTIL HE DISSIPATED EXCESS AIRSPEED. THE DELAY DID NOT ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME TO FULLY CYCLE THE LANDING GEAR, WHICH COLLAPSED UPON LANDING.