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20160803013099I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bellanca 17-31ATC · Manteo, NC · August 3, 2016

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 3, 2016 · 13:30 local
Place
Manteo, NC
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N73RT
Reported as
Bellanca 17-31ATC
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
172 total40 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days
N73RTRegistration cancelled Oct 13, 2016 · Bellanca 17-31ATCS/N 73-31055 · Built 1973Airframe modelBellanca 17-31ATCEngine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

This is what the PIC stated:

Was flying to first flight along coast and noticed that radio lights was flashing, I thought there might be a short in the system, checked circuit breakers, they were fine, garmin 155XL was not flashing and working appropriately, so I thought that radio might be having problem, I went and checked transponder and saw that orange light wasn't flashing. Recycled transponder on and off and nothing happened. I looked at alternator gauge on left and it said charge. As I was approaching first flight I I could hear discussion of planes in pattern and announced my plan to enter downwind at first flight. I put landing gear down and got a red light showing hydraulic pump working followed by green lights showing landing gear locked and red light off showing hydraulic pump off. I attempted to put down electric flaps and they didn't go down. At this point I thought there was a worsening electrical issue and that systems were shorting out one by one. I considered an issue with an electrical fire, but there was no smoke. I thought about the alternator not working, but the gauge showed a charge. I went through the working systems: alternator gauge, engine gauges, fuel gauges, turn indicator, garmin GPS, landing gear, DC outlet powering garmin GDL39 3D, and vacuum pump. Things that were not working was comm/nav radio 1 and 2 both king 155S, flaps, and transponder. I told my family that we had to go to dare county to land, but they told me that they couldn't hear me talking over the headset. So I yelled to them that we had to land at another airport because something was wrong with the plane. I started turning off a few things in case it was draining electricity or was part of whatever short circuit that was taking place. I turned off the transponder and unplugged the garmin GDL39 3D. I flew straight down to dare county and attempted radioing dare county. At this point I had no lights on the comm/nav radios, but the garmin 155XL was still working. I went through my checklists before landing and did a no flaps landing on runway 05 at dare county. I thought everything was fine, it was a very smooth landing, but as my speed decreased the nose came down and I felt the nose dip lower than it should. I pulled back on the yoke and it brought nose back up and I held it until we slowed and the nose fell, prop struck and we slid to a stop. We all got out of the plane quickly and nobody was injured. When the airport crane came out to lift the nose the right main gear collapsed and left main gear collapsed shortly after. Eventually they needed to lift the whole plane up in order to get the gear locked. I called my airplane mechanic ^ron dudley^, a Bellanca mechanic, who had done all the recent maintenance on the plane ^(352) 222-9135^, including installing a new power pack for the landing gear, vacuum pump, alternator, DC outlet, and anything else that needed to be done to make the plane safe for me to commute in. He thought that some fluid might have been pushed back through the pump to unlock the gear, but was surprised to hear about the odd order of system failures.

As the FAA filed it

THIS IS WHAT THE PIC STATED:

WAS FLYING TO FIRST FLIGHT ALONG COAST AND NOTICED THAT RADIO LIGHTS WAS FLASHING, I THOUGHT THERE MIGHT BE A SHORT IN THE SYSTEM, CHECKED CIRCUIT BREAKERS, THEY WERE FINE, GARMIN 155XL WAS NOT FLASHING AND WORKING APPROPRIATELY, SO I THOUGHT THAT RADIO MIGHT BE HAVING PROBLEM, I WENT AND CHECKED TRANSPONDER AND SAW THAT ORANGE LIGHT WASN'T FLASHING. RECYCLED TRANSPONDER ON AND OFF AND NOTHING HAPPENED. I LOOKED AT ALTERNATOR GAUGE ON LEFT AND IT SAID CHARGE. AS I WAS APPROACHING FIRST FLIGHT I I COULD HEAR DISCUSSION OF PLANES IN PATTERN AND ANNOUNCED MY PLAN TO ENTER DOWNWIND AT FIRST FLIGHT. I PUT LANDING GEAR DOWN AND GOT A RED LIGHT SHOWING HYDRAULIC PUMP WORKING FOLLOWED BY GREEN LIGHTS SHOWING LANDING GEAR LOCKED AND RED LIGHT OFF SHOWING HYDRAULIC PUMP OFF. I ATTEMPTED TO PUT DOWN ELECTRIC FLAPS AND THEY DIDN'T GO DOWN. AT THIS POINT I THOUGHT THERE WAS A WORSENING ELECTRICAL ISSUE AND THAT SYSTEMS WERE SHORTING OUT ONE BY ONE. I CONSIDERED AN ISSUE WITH AN ELECTRICAL FIRE, BUT THERE WAS NO SMOKE. I THOUGHT ABOUT THE ALTERNATOR NOT WORKING, BUT THE GAUGE SHOWED A CHARGE. I WENT THROUGH THE WORKING SYSTEMS: ALTERNATOR GAUGE, ENGINE GAUGES, FUEL GAUGES, TURN INDICATOR, GARMIN GPS, LANDING GEAR, DC OUTLET POWERING GARMIN GDL39 3D, AND VACUUM PUMP. THINGS THAT WERE NOT WORKING WAS COMM/NAV RADIO 1 AND 2 BOTH KING 155S, FLAPS, AND TRANSPONDER. I TOLD MY FAMILY THAT WE HAD TO GO TO DARE COUNTY TO LAND, BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULDN'T HEAR ME TALKING OVER THE HEADSET. SO I YELLED TO THEM THAT WE HAD TO LAND AT ANOTHER AIRPORT BECAUSE SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE PLANE. I STARTED TURNING OFF A FEW THINGS IN CASE IT WAS DRAINING ELECTRICITY OR WAS PART OF WHATEVER SHORT CIRCUIT THAT WAS TAKING PLACE. I TURNED OFF THE TRANSPONDER AND UNPLUGGED THE GARMIN GDL39 3D. I FLEW STRAIGHT DOWN TO DARE COUNTY AND ATTEMPTED RADIOING DARE COUNTY. AT THIS POINT I HAD NO LIGHTS ON THE COMM/NAV RADIOS, BUT THE GARMIN 155XL WAS STILL WORKING. I WENT THROUGH MY CHECKLISTS BEFORE LANDING AND DID A NO FLAPS LANDING ON RUNWAY 05 AT DARE COUNTY. I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS FINE, IT WAS A VERY SMOOTH LANDING, BUT AS MY SPEED DECREASED THE NOSE CAME DOWN AND I FELT THE NOSE DIP LOWER THAN IT SHOULD. I PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE AND IT BROUGHT NOSE BACK UP AND I HELD IT UNTIL WE SLOWED AND THE NOSE FELL, PROP STRUCK AND WE SLID TO A STOP. WE ALL GOT OUT OF THE PLANE QUICKLY AND NOBODY WAS INJURED. WHEN THE AIRPORT CRANE CAME OUT TO LIFT THE NOSE THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED SHORTLY AFTER. EVENTUALLY THEY NEEDED TO LIFT THE WHOLE PLANE UP IN ORDER TO GET THE GEAR LOCKED. I CALLED MY AIRPLANE MECHANIC ^RON DUDLEY^, A BELLANCA MECHANIC, WHO HAD DONE ALL THE RECENT MAINTENANCE ON THE PLANE ^(352) 222-9135^, INCLUDING INSTALLING A NEW POWER PACK FOR THE LANDING GEAR, VACUUM PUMP, ALTERNATOR, DC OUTLET, AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO MAKE THE PLANE SAFE FOR ME TO COMMUTE IN. HE THOUGHT THAT SOME FLUID MIGHT HAVE BEEN PUSHED BACK THROUGH THE PUMP TO UNLOCK THE GEAR, BUT WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR ABOUT THE ODD ORDER OF SYSTEM FAILURES.