20150118001359I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Yakovlev YAK 52 · Torrance, CA · January 18, 2015

Date
January 18, 2015 · 12:55 local
Place
Torrance, CA
Airport
Torrance Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N124YK
Reported as
Yakovlev YAK 52
Reported engine
Amateur-built AEROSTAR M-14P
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
867 total273 in this make and model37 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.

January 18, 2015 at approximatley 1200 hrs after lowering landing gear on approach to toa, pilot noticed the middle green light gear down indication was not illuminated. Pilot cycled the gear, but light remained out. Pilot asked passenger if he had 3 greens, but he had only two as well. The visual indicator poles seemed to indicate the gear were all down. Pilot asked passenger if his gear handle was in the correct position, and passenger indicated yes, pilot then asked passenger to change gear selector to the override position (only down position) but that didn't change the gear light. Pilot and passenger discussed the visual indicator poles looking fully raised, and how pilot had 4.5 atmospheres of air, which is more than enough to actuate gear up or down. Pilot asked the tower if they could verify our gear was down, and tower verified they all looked down. Pilot decided to land gently but the nose gear collapsed on landing roll out.

As the FAA filed it

JANUARY 18, 2015 AT APPROXIMATLEY 1200 HRS AFTER LOWERING LANDING GEAR ON APPROACH TO TOA, PILOT NOTICED THE MIDDLE GREEN LIGHT GEAR DOWN INDICATION WAS NOT ILLUMINATED. PILOT CYCLED THE GEAR, BUT LIGHT REMAINED OUT. PILOT ASKED PASSENGER IF HE HAD 3 GREENS, BUT HE HAD ONLY TWO AS WELL. THE VISUAL INDICATOR POLES SEEMED TO INDICATE THE GEAR WERE ALL DOWN. PILOT ASKED PASSENGER IF HIS GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE CORRECT POSITION, AND PASSENGER INDICATED YES, PILOT THEN ASKED PASSENGER TO CHANGE GEAR SELECTOR TO THE OVERRIDE POSITION (ONLY DOWN POSITION) BUT THAT DIDN'T CHANGE THE GEAR LIGHT. PILOT AND PASSENGER DISCUSSED THE VISUAL INDICATOR POLES LOOKING FULLY RAISED, AND HOW PILOT HAD 4.5 ATMOSPHERES OF AIR, WHICH IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO ACTUATE GEAR UP OR DOWN. PILOT ASKED THE TOWER IF THEY COULD VERIFY OUR GEAR WAS DOWN, AND TOWER VERIFIED THEY ALL LOOKED DOWN. PILOT DECIDED TO LAND GENTLY BUT THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING ROLL OUT.