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20141129022609I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-24-250 · Marana, AZ · November 29, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 29, 2014 · 14:30 local
Place
Marana, AZ
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7123P
Reported as
Piper PA-24-250
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
391 total132 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days
N7123PRegistered now · Piper PA-24-250S/N 24-2283 · Built 1961Airframe modelPiper PA-24-250Engine 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 stated the following: after taking off from avq and selecting the landing gear up, the landing gear would not retract. He then checked the manual gear lever which was not moving. He then selected the gear down and verified he had a green gear light. He then started to return to avq and tried the gear again in which it would not retract and noted the manual gear lever remained forward. He then verified the aircraft had no tripped circuit breakers, the gear light was green and gear handle was ?tight?. Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced slightly and on the second touchdown the gear collapsed. He stated he could not confirm which order it collapsed but stated it felt like all three at once. Pilot stated that he did not try manual extension.

A local mechanic / IA assisted the aircraft owner with moving the aircraft off the runway. He stated that when the aircraft was lifted with forklifts that the gear free fell. He then pushed the gear to the down and locked position. He then had the pilot turn on the master switch to verify a green gear indication. Aircraft was lowered and towed to a parking spot.

Note: at the time of this report, a physical inspection of the aircraft was limited due to an issue with the insurance company and no jacks being available to make the aircraft safe for further inspection. Inspectors could not enter the cockpit, get under the aircraft or do a gear swing to date. Aircraft had no indications of sidewall scuffing on tires or gear doors typical of a gear collapse.

1-7-15

Aircraft was moved to a maintenance facility where aircraft was placed on jacks. Maintenance personnel selected gear to the up position but gear failed to retract although the gear motor was heard moving. A visual inspection showed that the gear jackscrew disconnect was not engaged. Once engaged, the landing gear operated normally.

An inspection of the aircraft landing gear system failed to reveal any other anomalies. It could not be validated at what point the jackscrew disconnect became dis-engaged.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THE FOLLOWING: AFTER TAKING OFF FROM AVQ AND SELECTING THE LANDING GEAR UP, THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. HE THEN CHECKED THE MANUAL GEAR LEVER WHICH WAS NOT MOVING. HE THEN SELECTED THE GEAR DOWN AND VERIFIED HE HAD A GREEN GEAR LIGHT. HE THEN STARTED TO RETURN TO AVQ AND TRIED THE GEAR AGAIN IN WHICH IT WOULD NOT RETRACT AND NOTED THE MANUAL GEAR LEVER REMAINED FORWARD. HE THEN VERIFIED THE AIRCRAFT HAD NO TRIPPED CIRCUIT BREAKERS, THE GEAR LIGHT WAS GREEN AND GEAR HANDLE WAS ?TIGHT?. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED SLIGHTLY AND ON THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN THE GEAR COLLAPSED. HE STATED HE COULD NOT CONFIRM WHICH ORDER IT COLLAPSED BUT STATED IT FELT LIKE ALL THREE AT ONCE. PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT TRY MANUAL EXTENSION.

A LOCAL MECHANIC / IA ASSISTED THE AIRCRAFT OWNER WITH MOVING THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE RUNWAY. HE STATED THAT WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED WITH FORKLIFTS THAT THE GEAR FREE FELL. HE THEN PUSHED THE GEAR TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. HE THEN HAD THE PILOT TURN ON THE MASTER SWITCH TO VERIFY A GREEN GEAR INDICATION. AIRCRAFT WAS LOWERED AND TOWED TO A PARKING SPOT.

NOTE: AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT, A PHYSICAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIMITED DUE TO AN ISSUE WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND NO JACKS BEING AVAILABLE TO MAKE THE AIRCRAFT SAFE FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. INSPECTORS COULD NOT ENTER THE COCKPIT, GET UNDER THE AIRCRAFT OR DO A GEAR SWING TO DATE. AIRCRAFT HAD NO INDICATIONS OF SIDEWALL SCUFFING ON TIRES OR GEAR DOORS TYPICAL OF A GEAR COLLAPSE.

1-7-15

AIRCRAFT WAS MOVED TO A MAINTENANCE FACILITY WHERE AIRCRAFT WAS PLACED ON JACKS. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL SELECTED GEAR TO THE UP POSITION BUT GEAR FAILED TO RETRACT ALTHOUGH THE GEAR MOTOR WAS HEARD MOVING. A VISUAL INSPECTION SHOWED THAT THE GEAR JACKSCREW DISCONNECT WAS NOT ENGAGED. ONCE ENGAGED, THE LANDING GEAR OPERATED NORMALLY.

AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT LANDING GEAR SYSTEM FAILED TO REVEAL ANY OTHER ANOMALIES. IT COULD NOT BE VALIDATED AT WHAT POINT THE JACKSCREW DISCONNECT BECAME DIS-ENGAGED.