20150220002449I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-44-180 · Clearwater, FL · February 20, 2015

Date: February 20, 2015 · 13:44 local
Place: Clearwater, FL
Airport: St. Pete Clearwater
Phase of flight: Unknown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N337EP
Reported as: Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 114 total

N337EPRegistered now · Piper PA-44-180S/N 44-7995064 · Built 1978 Airframe modelPiper PA-44-180 Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 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.

While on final approach to a landing at pie, the pilot noticed that he did not have three green lights indicating that the landing gear was down and locked. The gear in transit light was also still illuminated. The pilot did a go around and attempted to recycle the landing gear. The landing gear would not retract and the gear in transit light still remained on. The nose gear could be seen in the mirror and appeared to be down. The pilot did a low approach and inquired if the tower operator could check the landing gear. The tower stated that the landing gear was in the down position, but unknown if it was locked. The pilot returned for landing. After touchdown on the runway the right main landing gear collapsed resulting in minor damage to the underside of the right wing and aileron.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO A LANDING AT PIE, THE PILOT NOTICED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE THREE GREEN LIGHTS INDICATING THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE GEAR IN TRANSIT LIGHT WAS ALSO STILL ILLUMINATED. THE PILOT DID A GO AROUND AND ATTEMPTED TO RECYCLE THE LANDING GEAR. THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT AND THE GEAR IN TRANSIT LIGHT STILL REMAINED ON. THE NOSE GEAR COULD BE SEEN IN THE MIRROR AND APPEARED TO BE DOWN. THE PILOT DID A LOW APPROACH AND INQUIRED IF THE TOWER OPERATOR COULD CHECK THE LANDING GEAR. THE TOWER STATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION, BUT UNKNOWN IF IT WAS LOCKED. THE PILOT RETURNED FOR LANDING. AFTER TOUCHDOWN ON THE RUNWAY THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RIGHT WING AND AILERON.