20160120024049I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Aero Vodochody L39C · Byron, CA · January 20, 2016

Date
January 20, 2016 · 17:00 local
Place
Byron, CA
Airport
Byron
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N439DH
Reported as
Aero Vodochody L39C
Reported engine
Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,500 total450 in this make and model2 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 had completed post maintenance flight checks and was returning to Byron Airport. While in the pattern for landing on runway 30, pilot extended landing gear and wing flaps. Pilot saw no down lock or flap position lights on the instrument panel indicating possible malfunction of the aircraft warning and caution light system. Pilot verified that the landing gear and flap position pins, located on the wings and forward of the windshield, were visible indicating that the gear was down and locked. Shortly after touchdown, with full weight on the wheels, the nose gear collapsed, followed by the collapse of both main gear. Aircraft skidded to a stop. 1 POB, no injuries.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT HAD COMPLETED POST MAINTENANCE FLIGHT CHECKS AND WAS RETURNING TO BYRON AIRPORT. WHILE IN THE PATTERN FOR LANDING ON RUNWAY 30, PILOT EXTENDED LANDING GEAR AND WING FLAPS. PILOT SAW NO DOWN LOCK OR FLAP POSITION LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATING POSSIBLE MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WARNING AND CAUTION LIGHT SYSTEM. PILOT VERIFIED THAT THE LANDING GEAR AND FLAP POSITION PINS, LOCATED ON THE WINGS AND FORWARD OF THE WINDSHIELD, WERE VISIBLE INDICATING THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, WITH FULL WEIGHT ON THE WHEELS, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, FOLLOWED BY THE COLLAPSE OF BOTH MAIN GEAR. AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP. 1 POB, NO INJURIES.