20150918016699I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech C35 · Richland, WA · September 18, 2015

Date
September 18, 2015 · 15:05 local
Place
Richland, WA
Airport
Richland
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5960C
Reported as
Beech C35
Reported engine
Continental E185 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
693 total445 in this make and model4 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.

Pilot took off from runway 19 in Richland and climbed more steeply and to an altitude above the normal traffic pattern to avoid noise sensitive areas south of the Richland, WA airport. As the pilot turned downwind for runway 19, he allowed himself to become distracted with losing the altitude that he had gained on climb out and neglicted to perform his before landing gumps check. The pilot extended his downwind leg and consequently turned final approach at a lower than normal altitude. On this extended final, the pilot extended his flaps for landing, but did not complete a gumps before landing check. Because of the lower altitude on final, the pilot was carrying more power than normal on final approach--no gear horn. Over the runway, the pilot reduced power, the gear horn sounded, and the airplane settled onto the runway in a gear up configuration.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 19 IN RICHLAND AND CLIMBED MORE STEEPLY AND TO AN ALTITUDE ABOVE THE NORMAL TRAFFIC PATTERN TO AVOID NOISE SENSITIVE AREAS SOUTH OF THE RICHLAND, WA AIRPORT. AS THE PILOT TURNED DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 19, HE ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BECOME DISTRACTED WITH LOSING THE ALTITUDE THAT HE HAD GAINED ON CLIMB OUT AND NEGLICTED TO PERFORM HIS BEFORE LANDING GUMPS CHECK. THE PILOT EXTENDED HIS DOWNWIND LEG AND CONSEQUENTLY TURNED FINAL APPROACH AT A LOWER THAN NORMAL ALTITUDE. ON THIS EXTENDED FINAL, THE PILOT EXTENDED HIS FLAPS FOR LANDING, BUT DID NOT COMPLETE A GUMPS BEFORE LANDING CHECK. BECAUSE OF THE LOWER ALTITUDE ON FINAL, THE PILOT WAS CARRYING MORE POWER THAN NORMAL ON FINAL APPROACH--NO GEAR HORN. OVER THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT REDUCED POWER, THE GEAR HORN SOUNDED, AND THE AIRPLANE SETTLED ONTO THE RUNWAY IN A GEAR UP CONFIGURATION.