20160417003919I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28R-201 · Adrian, MI · April 17, 2016

Date
April 17, 2016 · 13:00 local
Place
Adrian, MI
Airport
Lenawee County Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N531GS
Reported as
Piper PA-28R-201
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 SER A&C
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
11,300 total850 in this make and model150 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.

A flight instructor and a commercial candidate were performing numerous touch and go's while practicing short and soft field landings. On the final attempt, the aircraft landed with the gear retracted. Upon inspection of the aircraft on the runway, the gear handle was in the down position, the nose gear doors were contacting the runway, the tail was suspended in the air by the height of the extended flaps and cabin door entrance step. The main landing gear were unlocked and extended approximately 3 inches with the outer edge of the tires resting on the runway.

Inspection of the runway indicated the following, in sequence: propeller stikes, flap marks, cabin entrance step marks, transponder antenna broken off, nose gear doors/engine cowl marks and main gear tire rubbing marks.

The aircraft was lifted in the air on the runway, battery power was applied, the gear handle still in the down position and the gear extended to the down and locked position.

Upon further inspection of the aircraft after it was towed from the runway to the hangar reviled the following damage:

1. Propeller

2. Nose gear doors

3. Lower engine cowling

4. Transponder antenna

5. Lower forward belly rails

6. Comm antenna pushed through belly

Skin

7. Left and right inboard flap trailing

Edges

8. Cabin entrance step

No damage was noted on the main gear assemblies or doors. Minor tire rubbing was noticed on the edges of both tires.

The aircraft was then jacked in the air and numerous gear extension and retractions were performed. All normal and emergency systems operated normal. All indications and warnings operated normal.

As the FAA filed it

A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND A COMMERCIAL CANDIDATE WERE PERFORMING NUMEROUS TOUCH AND GO'S WHILE PRACTICING SHORT AND SOFT FIELD LANDINGS. ON THE FINAL ATTEMPT, THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED. UPON INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY, THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION, THE NOSE GEAR DOORS WERE CONTACTING THE RUNWAY, THE TAIL WAS SUSPENDED IN THE AIR BY THE HEIGHT OF THE EXTENDED FLAPS AND CABIN DOOR ENTRANCE STEP. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WERE UNLOCKED AND EXTENDED APPROXIMATELY 3 INCHES WITH THE OUTER EDGE OF THE TIRES RESTING ON THE RUNWAY.

INSPECTION OF THE RUNWAY INDICATED THE FOLLOWING, IN SEQUENCE: PROPELLER STIKES, FLAP MARKS, CABIN ENTRANCE STEP MARKS, TRANSPONDER ANTENNA BROKEN OFF, NOSE GEAR DOORS/ENGINE COWL MARKS AND MAIN GEAR TIRE RUBBING MARKS.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED IN THE AIR ON THE RUNWAY, BATTERY POWER WAS APPLIED, THE GEAR HANDLE STILL IN THE DOWN POSITION AND THE GEAR EXTENDED TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION.

UPON FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER IT WAS TOWED FROM THE RUNWAY TO THE HANGAR REVILED THE FOLLOWING DAMAGE:

1. PROPELLER

2. NOSE GEAR DOORS

3. LOWER ENGINE COWLING

4. TRANSPONDER ANTENNA

5. LOWER FORWARD BELLY RAILS

6. COMM ANTENNA PUSHED THROUGH BELLY

SKIN

7. LEFT AND RIGHT INBOARD FLAP TRAILING

EDGES

8. CABIN ENTRANCE STEP

NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED ON THE MAIN GEAR ASSEMBLIES OR DOORS. MINOR TIRE RUBBING WAS NOTICED ON THE EDGES OF BOTH TIRES.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN JACKED IN THE AIR AND NUMEROUS GEAR EXTENSION AND RETRACTIONS WERE PERFORMED. ALL NORMAL AND EMERGENCY SYSTEMS OPERATED NORMAL. ALL INDICATIONS AND WARNINGS OPERATED NORMAL.