# Incident 20150909019309I: Piper PA-32R-301T, North Las Vegas, NV, September 9, 2015 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 9, 2015, 12:15 local time - Place: North Las Vegas, NV - Airport: North Las Vegas - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 36.2107° N, 115.1944° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at NORTH LAS VEGAS (VGT), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2107&lon=-115.1944&mi=10 - Aircraft: N26849 (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32R-301T - Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150909019309I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON 09/09/2015, THE PILOT DEPARTED CENTENNIAL AIRPORT, COLORADO AT 9:30 LOCAL TIME WITH ONE PASSENGER FOR A DAY VFR FAR PART 91 FLIGHT TO NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT, NEVADA. THE PILOT STATED WHEN HE LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR UPON ARRIVAL THE MAIN GEAR INDICATED GREEN AND THE NOSE GEAR INDICATED YELLOW. HE CYCLED THE GEAR TWO TIMES WITH THE SAME RESULTING INDICATION. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS INVOLVED IN A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE INCIDENT DURING A TAKE OFF ROLL AT NORTH LAS VEGAS SIX MONTHS PRIOR. HE SAID HE HAD BEEN HAVING INTERMITTENT GEAR INDICATION PROBLEMS SINCE THE REPAIR. THE PILOT SAID HE ASSUMED THE NOSE GEAR UNSAFE INDICATION ON THIS LAST FLIGHT WAS A FALSE INDICATION. HE DID NOT REPORT THE PROBLEM TO ATC NOR DID HE ASK FOR A VISUAL FLY BY TO CONFIRM IF THE NOSE WHEEL WAS DOWN. HE CONTINUED THE LANDING AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP ON THE LOWER ENGINE COWLING WITH THE NOSE GEAR STILL COMPLETELY RETRACTED. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE PROPELLOR, ENGINE, EXHAUST, ENGINE MOUNT AND LOWER ENGINE COWLING. LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE PERSONNEL ATTENDED THE SCENE WITH AIRPORT RESPONDERS. POLICE STATED TO THE FAA INSPECTOR THAT THEY FOUND A SMALL PORTION OF A MARIJUANA CIGARETTE IN A CUP INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT. THE PASSENGER CLAIMED IT AS HIS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELOCATED TO A HANGAR AND POLICE CONTINUED TO QUESTION THE PILOT AND PASSENGER. THE FAA INSPECTOR ASKED THE PILOT FOR THE AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION, AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE AND WEIGHT AND BALANCE. THE PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO PRODUCE THOSE DOCUMENTS. THE PILOT HAD HIS PILOT CERTIFICATE AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATE ON PERSON BUT DID NOT HAVE A GOVERNMENT ISSSUED PICTURE ID OTHER THAN A FIREARM CONCEAL CARRY PERMIT FORM FROM UTAH. ^THE PILOT CONSENTED TO A FIELD SOBRIETY TEST FOR IMPAIREMENT CONDUCTED BY LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE. THE POLICE OFFICER STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THE PILOT COULD BE IMPAIRED TO SOME DEGREE.^ POLICE DID NOT ARREST THE PASSENGER OR PILOT DUE TO THE SMALL AMOUNT OF SUBSTANCE FOUND. POLICE ADVISED THE FAA INSPECTOR THAT IF ^THE PILOT CONSENTED TO A LEGAL BLOOD DRAW THE LEVEL OF IMPAIREMENT MAY BE DETERMINED. THE PILOT CONSENTED TO THE BLOOD TEST AND BASED ON FAR 91.17, THE SAMPLE WAS LEGALLY OBTAINED WITH CHAIN OF CUSTODY AND SHIPPED TO FAA LAB CAMI OKC FOR PROCESSING. RESULTS ARE PENDING THIS DATE.^ 09/15/2015-FAA INSPECTOR MET WITH MAINTENANCE PROVIDER FOR LANDING GEAR INSPECTION. RIGGING WAS FOUND TO BE CORRECT AND NO DEFECTS OR MALFUNCTIONS WERE EVIDENT. MAINTENANCE RECORDS WERE PROVIDED BY AN AIRCRAFT BROKER ENLISTED TO SALE THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND TO BE "IN ANNUAL" AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. ^12/02/2015-FINAL FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY REPORT WAS RECEIVED FROM CAMI. RESULTS SHOWED PRESENCE OF MARIJUANA IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD SAMPLE .0831. CAMI PERSONNEL STATED THAT IS A HIGH CONCENTRATION, ENOUGH TO CAUSE IMPAIRMENT.^ From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.