20161227021599I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Spokane, WA · December 27, 2016

Date
December 27, 2016 · 02:21 local
Place
Spokane, WA
Airport
Spokane Felt Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
APCA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3582X
Reported as
Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
2,300 total500 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.

Pilot commenced approach and ran before landing checks 2 miles outside faf. Inside faf turbulence increased and pilot became distracted by tail wind and belief plane was crabbed in wrong direction. Pilot saw runway and was focused on determining runway condition. After the gear-up landing, the pilot secured airplane on the runway and shut off the power (electrical). When the pilot powered up the aircraft (electical) in an attempt to advise ATC of the situation by radio, the pilot noted hearing the gear warning horn. Pilot admitted to forgetting to select gear handle to down position.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT COMMENCED APPROACH AND RAN BEFORE LANDING CHECKS 2 MILES OUTSIDE FAF. INSIDE FAF TURBULENCE INCREASED AND PILOT BECAME DISTRACTED BY TAIL WIND AND BELIEF PLANE WAS CRABBED IN WRONG DIRECTION. PILOT SAW RUNWAY AND WAS FOCUSED ON DETERMINING RUNWAY CONDITION. AFTER THE GEAR-UP LANDING, THE PILOT SECURED AIRPLANE ON THE RUNWAY AND SHUT OFF THE POWER (ELECTRICAL). WHEN THE PILOT POWERED UP THE AIRCRAFT (ELECTICAL) IN AN ATTEMPT TO ADVISE ATC OF THE SITUATION BY RADIO, THE PILOT NOTED HEARING THE GEAR WARNING HORN. PILOT ADMITTED TO FORGETTING TO SELECT GEAR HANDLE TO DOWN POSITION.