# Incident 20160803013099I: Bellanca 17-31ATC, Manteo, NC, August 3, 2016

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 3, 2016, 13:30 local time
- Place: Manteo, NC
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.8985° N, 75.6514° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Manteo, NC, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8985&lon=-75.6514&mi=10
- Aircraft: N73RT, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N73RT-2016-10-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bellanca 17-31ATC (registry code 1220437, https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-17-31atc) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELLANCA 17-31ATC
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 172 total, 40 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160803013099I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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