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20150429005549I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Wharton, TX · April 29, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 29, 2015 · 17:35 local
Place
Wharton, TX
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4815M
Reported as
Beech A36
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
N4815MRegistration cancelled Nov 15, 2022 · Beech A36S/N E-1266 · Built 1978Airframe modelBeech A36Engine modelContinental IO-520 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.

The pilot who wasprivacy data omitted was on a local flight of approximately 30 minutes under VFR conditions with a fellow pilot as a passenger. While landing on runway 35 at Wharton municipal airport during the rollout, the landing gear handle somehow was moved to the up position and the landing gear folded up as the aircraft slid to a stop. The pilot stated that the passenger raised the landing gear handle, the passenger stated he did not know how it got moved.

Damage to the aircraft is indicative a slow speed skid along asphalt. The propeller tips were bent rearward indicating that the engine was in a low power setting. The nose landing gear covers were scraped near the rear portions. The main landing gear covers attached to the landing gear showed small signs of asphalt scrapping. The main gear inner covers showed signs of asphalt scrapes on the outside and rubber marks on the inside. The left cover was bent in a rearward direction near the hinge point. The flaps were bent near the control bar and wrinkled on both the top and bottom near the fuselage. The bottom of the fuselage was scraped along most area below the wing and rearward to about two thirds of the way to the empennage. Inspection of the aircraft interior showed that the double yoke configuration. This visually concealed the landing ear handle and the flap hand from both front seat occupants. As a note, this aircraft has the flap handle on the left side of the throttle quadrant and the gear handle on the right side of the throttle quadrant. This is opposite of most modern aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT WHO WAS^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ON A LOCAL FLIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES UNDER VFR CONDITIONS WITH A FELLOW PILOT AS A PASSENGER. WHILE LANDING ON RUNWAY 35 AT WHARTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT DURING THE ROLLOUT, THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE SOMEHOW WAS MOVED TO THE UP POSITION AND THE LANDING GEAR FOLDED UP AS THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO A STOP. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER RAISED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE, THE PASSENGER STATED HE DID NOT KNOW HOW IT GOT MOVED.

DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT IS INDICATIVE A SLOW SPEED SKID ALONG ASPHALT. THE PROPELLER TIPS WERE BENT REARWARD INDICATING THAT THE ENGINE WAS IN A LOW POWER SETTING. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COVERS WERE SCRAPED NEAR THE REAR PORTIONS. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR COVERS ATTACHED TO THE LANDING GEAR SHOWED SMALL SIGNS OF ASPHALT SCRAPPING. THE MAIN GEAR INNER COVERS SHOWED SIGNS OF ASPHALT SCRAPES ON THE OUTSIDE AND RUBBER MARKS ON THE INSIDE. THE LEFT COVER WAS BENT IN A REARWARD DIRECTION NEAR THE HINGE POINT. THE FLAPS WERE BENT NEAR THE CONTROL BAR AND WRINKLED ON BOTH THE TOP AND BOTTOM NEAR THE FUSELAGE. THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE WAS SCRAPED ALONG MOST AREA BELOW THE WING AND REARWARD TO ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY TO THE EMPENNAGE. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT INTERIOR SHOWED THAT THE DOUBLE YOKE CONFIGURATION. THIS VISUALLY CONCEALED THE LANDING EAR HANDLE AND THE FLAP HAND FROM BOTH FRONT SEAT OCCUPANTS. AS A NOTE, THIS AIRCRAFT HAS THE FLAP HANDLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE THROTTLE QUADRANT AND THE GEAR HANDLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE THROTTLE QUADRANT. THIS IS OPPOSITE OF MOST MODERN AIRCRAFT.