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20131112022359I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Petaluma, CA · November 12, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 12, 2013 · 13:00 local
Place
Petaluma, CA
Airport
Petaluma Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N3081W
Reported as
Beech A36
Reported engine
Continental IO-550-B(4)C ASCF
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
3,200 total2,510 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

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.

Pilot in command (PIC) lost electrical power on nov 11, 2013 approximately 15 miles out from the sonoma skypark airport, Petaluma, California. (O69).

PIC attempted to lower the flaps and landing gear while circling the airport. There were no lights on the enunciator panel to indicate the position of either the landing gear or flaps due to the loss of electrical power to indicate the position of the flaps or gear down.

PIC then commenced to lower the landing gear with the manual gear handle. The aircraft is equipped with outside mirrors to look under the aircraft to see if the landing gear is down. The manual gear extension takes 52 turns to insure the gear extend and lock to position to land. Pilot was not quite sure as to how many turns he had rotated manual gear handle to extend the gear. The pilot estimated that he had rotated around 50 turns.

Upon landing the nose wheel gear collapse and the aircraft nosed down on landing causing significant damage to the forward fuselage, propeller, and nose landing gea

As the FAA filed it

PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) LOST ELECTRICAL POWER ON NOV 11, 2013 APPROXIMATELY 15 MILES OUT FROM THE SONOMA SKYPARK AIRPORT, PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA. (O69).

PIC ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE FLAPS AND LANDING GEAR WHILE CIRCLING THE AIRPORT. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON THE ENUNCIATOR PANEL TO INDICATE THE POSITION OF EITHER THE LANDING GEAR OR FLAPS DUE TO THE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER TO INDICATE THE POSITION OF THE FLAPS OR GEAR DOWN.

PIC THEN COMMENCED TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR WITH THE MANUAL GEAR HANDLE. THE AIRCRAFT IS EQUIPPED WITH OUTSIDE MIRRORS TO LOOK UNDER THE AIRCRAFT TO SEE IF THE LANDING GEAR IS DOWN. THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION TAKES 52 TURNS TO INSURE THE GEAR EXTEND AND LOCK TO POSITION TO LAND. PILOT WAS NOT QUITE SURE AS TO HOW MANY TURNS HE HAD ROTATED MANUAL GEAR HANDLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR. THE PILOT ESTIMATED THAT HE HAD ROTATED AROUND 50 TURNS.

UPON LANDING THE NOSE WHEEL GEAR COLLAPSE AND THE AIRCRAFT NOSED DOWN ON LANDING CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE FORWARD FUSELAGE, PROPELLER, AND NOSE LANDING GEA