20160913017819A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28R-201 · Bowling Green, OH · September 13, 2016

Date
September 13, 2016 · 09:00 local
Place
Bowling Green, OH
Airport
Wood County
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
LF8S
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N786BG
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN16LA374
Reported as
Piper PA-28R-201
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
5,993 total535 in this make and model42 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.

This was an employee training flight with a crew of privacy data omitted and privacy data omitted in N786BG, PA28R-201 on the morning of 9/13/2016. At approximately 7:40AM privacy data omitted performed a normal takeoff and remained in the traffic pattern for an intended landing. On mid-field downwind leg privacy data omitted ran the landing checklist. As he cycled the landing gear lever down the gear sounded and felt as though they were extending for a normal down cycle and then the "cont" circuit breaker popped out. The aircraft gave every physical indication that it felt like the gear was indeed extended, the drag associated with it was evident. As a result of the control circuit breaker release disabling the gear warning system, the crew was not able to see any Green landing gear annunciator lights or have any other visual or aural indications associated with the gear and could not determine if it was locked.

When the director of maintenance arrived at the runway they discussed the control circuit breaker and he requested they reset it. privacy data omitted Tried to push the circuit breaker back in and it popped out instantly, not allowing a reset. We reported this information to maintenance over the radio. Maintenance agreed that we should try a low pass to determine if the landing gear was extended and see what position the gear was in. The crew set up for a normal re-entry to the traffic pattern, briefed the low pass procedure and then performed it. The PIC low pass was at approximately 70 knots at eye-level to the maintenance observer and maintenance seemed pleased with the observation, reporting that the landing gear appeared down. The aircraft climbed out and remained in the traffic pattern for a landing. The crew briefed that they would attempt to land at a slow but safe airspeed to prevent significant damage if there was any gear situation. The crew discussed position of the flaps, speed control, and the possibility of initiating a go-around if they felt any indication of the gear not holding on landing. The landing touchdown was extremely gentle, they did not feel any indication of a gear failure. All 3 wheels were on the runway and the aircraft was decelerating gradually. The PIC made sure not to brake hard or apply any other forces to the aircraft, and continued to retract the control yoke aft as they decelerated. The aircraft right gear simply collapsed as they began a subtle left turn to exit the runway to taxiway connector B3 at an extremely slow speed. At that time the aircraft gently turned to rest facing north on runway 28 with the right gear collapsed. The crew did not perform the emergency checklist, the checklist states to utilize the emergency gear extension lever, this was not accomplished. The crew reviewed portions of the emergency checklist, but felt that since the landing gear control breaker was popped, they could not cycle the gear (first checklist procedure)(activation of the emergency gear lever is the final procedure).

As the FAA filed it

THIS WAS AN EMPLOYEE TRAINING FLIGHT WITH A CREW OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IN N786BG, PA28R-201 ON THE MORNING OF 9/13/2016. AT APPROXIMATELY 7:40AM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PERFORMED A NORMAL TAKEOFF AND REMAINED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR AN INTENDED LANDING. ON MID-FIELD DOWNWIND LEG ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RAN THE LANDING CHECKLIST. AS HE CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR LEVER DOWN THE GEAR SOUNDED AND FELT AS THOUGH THEY WERE EXTENDING FOR A NORMAL DOWN CYCLE AND THEN THE "CONT" CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED OUT. THE AIRCRAFT GAVE EVERY PHYSICAL INDICATION THAT IT FELT LIKE THE GEAR WAS INDEED EXTENDED, THE DRAG ASSOCIATED WITH IT WAS EVIDENT. AS A RESULT OF THE CONTROL CIRCUIT BREAKER RELEASE DISABLING THE GEAR WARNING SYSTEM, THE CREW WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE ANY GREEN LANDING GEAR ANNUNCIATOR LIGHTS OR HAVE ANY OTHER VISUAL OR AURAL INDICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GEAR AND COULD NOT DETERMINE IF IT WAS LOCKED.

WHEN THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE ARRIVED AT THE RUNWAY THEY DISCUSSED THE CONTROL CIRCUIT BREAKER AND HE REQUESTED THEY RESET IT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TRIED TO PUSH THE CIRCUIT BREAKER BACK IN AND IT POPPED OUT INSTANTLY, NOT ALLOWING A RESET. WE REPORTED THIS INFORMATION TO MAINTENANCE OVER THE RADIO. MAINTENANCE AGREED THAT WE SHOULD TRY A LOW PASS TO DETERMINE IF THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED AND SEE WHAT POSITION THE GEAR WAS IN. THE CREW SET UP FOR A NORMAL RE-ENTRY TO THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, BRIEFED THE LOW PASS PROCEDURE AND THEN PERFORMED IT. THE PIC LOW PASS WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 70 KNOTS AT EYE-LEVEL TO THE MAINTENANCE OBSERVER AND MAINTENANCE SEEMED PLEASED WITH THE OBSERVATION, REPORTING THAT THE LANDING GEAR APPEARED DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED OUT AND REMAINED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR A LANDING. THE CREW BRIEFED THAT THEY WOULD ATTEMPT TO LAND AT A SLOW BUT SAFE AIRSPEED TO PREVENT SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IF THERE WAS ANY GEAR SITUATION. THE CREW DISCUSSED POSITION OF THE FLAPS, SPEED CONTROL, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF INITIATING A GO-AROUND IF THEY FELT ANY INDICATION OF THE GEAR NOT HOLDING ON LANDING. THE LANDING TOUCHDOWN WAS EXTREMELY GENTLE, THEY DID NOT FEEL ANY INDICATION OF A GEAR FAILURE. ALL 3 WHEELS WERE ON THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DECELERATING GRADUALLY. THE PIC MADE SURE NOT TO BRAKE HARD OR APPLY ANY OTHER FORCES TO THE AIRCRAFT, AND CONTINUED TO RETRACT THE CONTROL YOKE AFT AS THEY DECELERATED. THE AIRCRAFT RIGHT GEAR SIMPLY COLLAPSED AS THEY BEGAN A SUBTLE LEFT TURN TO EXIT THE RUNWAY TO TAXIWAY CONNECTOR B3 AT AN EXTREMELY SLOW SPEED. AT THAT TIME THE AIRCRAFT GENTLY TURNED TO REST FACING NORTH ON RUNWAY 28 WITH THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED. THE CREW DID NOT PERFORM THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST, THE CHECKLIST STATES TO UTILIZE THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION LEVER, THIS WAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED. THE CREW REVIEWED PORTIONS OF THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST, BUT FELT THAT SINCE THE LANDING GEAR CONTROL BREAKER WAS POPPED, THEY COULD NOT CYCLE THE GEAR (FIRST CHECKLIST PROCEDURE)(ACTIVATION OF THE EMERGENCY GEAR LEVER IS THE FINAL PROCEDURE).

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

Other reports on N786BG · 1

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