20160313002209I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28R-201 · Pahokee, FL · March 13, 2016

Date
March 13, 2016 · 11:30 local
Place
Pahokee, FL
Airport
Palm Beach County Glades Airpo
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N97PG
Reported as
Piper PA-28R-201
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
11,225 total718 in this make and model62 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.

Certified flight instructor (CFI) was instructing a student pilot that had performed 2 short field takeoffs and landings that the student was rough on the controls. CFI was going to demonstrate how to set up and, especially, how to stabilize the final approach. CFI and student started check list but gear was delayed when CFI and student lost sight of other aircraft and did not reacquire aircraft until it was turning base to final. At one point the student thought he saw another aircraft on final but it was a boat on the lake and there was haze over the lake. These two circumstances caused CFI and student to divide their attention between seeing and avoiding other aircraft and performing the before landing check list. CFI was flying aircraft which was on base and continued to increase flaps, demonstrating a stabilized approach with proper airspeed and glide path control. CFI?s attention was concentrated on instruction and being sure the aircraft ahead cleared the runway before landing and the touchdown point was identified and because it was short field the CFI kept some power on till touchdown, which was on the spot selected. The CFI and student did not hear the gear warning horn nor did the red light come on. Aircraft then impacted the runway causing both propellers to strike the runway and aircraft landing on its belly. Neither CFI nor student was injured.

As the FAA filed it

CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WAS INSTRUCTING A STUDENT PILOT THAT HAD PERFORMED 2 SHORT FIELD TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS THAT THE STUDENT WAS ROUGH ON THE CONTROLS. CFI WAS GOING TO DEMONSTRATE HOW TO SET UP AND, ESPECIALLY, HOW TO STABILIZE THE FINAL APPROACH. CFI AND STUDENT STARTED CHECK LIST BUT GEAR WAS DELAYED WHEN CFI AND STUDENT LOST SIGHT OF OTHER AIRCRAFT AND DID NOT REACQUIRE AIRCRAFT UNTIL IT WAS TURNING BASE TO FINAL. AT ONE POINT THE STUDENT THOUGHT HE SAW ANOTHER AIRCRAFT ON FINAL BUT IT WAS A BOAT ON THE LAKE AND THERE WAS HAZE OVER THE LAKE. THESE TWO CIRCUMSTANCES CAUSED CFI AND STUDENT TO DIVIDE THEIR ATTENTION BETWEEN SEEING AND AVOIDING OTHER AIRCRAFT AND PERFORMING THE BEFORE LANDING CHECK LIST. CFI WAS FLYING AIRCRAFT WHICH WAS ON BASE AND CONTINUED TO INCREASE FLAPS, DEMONSTRATING A STABILIZED APPROACH WITH PROPER AIRSPEED AND GLIDE PATH CONTROL. CFI?S ATTENTION WAS CONCENTRATED ON INSTRUCTION AND BEING SURE THE AIRCRAFT AHEAD CLEARED THE RUNWAY BEFORE LANDING AND THE TOUCHDOWN POINT WAS IDENTIFIED AND BECAUSE IT WAS SHORT FIELD THE CFI KEPT SOME POWER ON TILL TOUCHDOWN, WHICH WAS ON THE SPOT SELECTED. THE CFI AND STUDENT DID NOT HEAR THE GEAR WARNING HORN NOR DID THE RED LIGHT COME ON. AIRCRAFT THEN IMPACTED THE RUNWAY CAUSING BOTH PROPELLERS TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY AND AIRCRAFT LANDING ON ITS BELLY. NEITHER CFI NOR STUDENT WAS INJURED.

Other reports on N97PG · 2

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.