20140804015469I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-24-250 · Austin, TX · August 4, 2014

Date: August 4, 2014 · 08:55 local
Place: Austin, TX
Airport: Bergstrom
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N6658P
Reported as: Piper PA-24-250
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 11,000 total33 in this make and model90 in the last 90 days

N6658PRegistered now · Piper PA-24-250S/N 24-1781 · Built 1960 Airframe modelPiper PA-24-250 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 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.

Pilot took off from departing airport shortly before dawn. Navigation lights were on. Upon approach to Bergstrom Airport Austin, Texas (now daylight) landing gear indication was not visable to show landing gear down and locked. (Landing gear light was not illuminated). Pilot made numerous attemps to extend gear normal and emergency extend. Upon touchdown landing gear collapsed.

Inspection showed no defect with gear system. Landing gear collapsed due to pilot not performing emergency extension as prescribed by manufactures instructions. This aircraft model will not give high illumination to the gear down light if the navigation lights are left on during daylight operation, therefore the pilot believed he had a gear system malfunction.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT TOOK OFF FROM DEPARTING AIRPORT SHORTLY BEFORE DAWN. NAVIGATION LIGHTS WERE ON. UPON APPROACH TO BERGSTROM AIRPORT AUSTIN, TEXAS (NOW DAYLIGHT) LANDING GEAR INDICATION WAS NOT VISABLE TO SHOW LANDING GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. (LANDING GEAR LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED). PILOT MADE NUMEROUS ATTEMPS TO EXTEND GEAR NORMAL AND EMERGENCY EXTEND. UPON TOUCHDOWN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED.

INSPECTION SHOWED NO DEFECT WITH GEAR SYSTEM. LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DUE TO PILOT NOT PERFORMING EMERGENCY EXTENSION AS PRESCRIBED BY MANUFACTURES INSTRUCTIONS. THIS AIRCRAFT MODEL WILL NOT GIVE HIGH ILLUMINATION TO THE GEAR DOWN LIGHT IF THE NAVIGATION LIGHTS ARE LEFT ON DURING DAYLIGHT OPERATION, THEREFORE THE PILOT BELIEVED HE HAD A GEAR SYSTEM MALFUNCTION.