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20170408006449I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · John D. Williams T-51B · South Lakeland, FL · April 8, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

Date
April 8, 2017 · 12:30 local
Place
South Lakeland, FL
Airport
South Lakeland A/P, Inc
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N751TA
Reported as
John D. Williams T-51B
Reported engine
Bmw-V12 M-73
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
4,000 total1,200 in this make and model
N751TARegistered now · John D Williams T-51BS/N M09BV12COHK0151B · Built 2015Airframe modelJohn D Williams T-51BEngine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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.

On 04/08/2017 @12:16 lt, at sun & fun at Lakeland linder airport, N751TA, a T-51 kit model of a P-51 aircraft was in the pattern at the airport doing a demonstration flight prior to an air show.

On the downwind leg the pilot extended the a/c landing gear and when he checked the gear down indicator lights the pilot noticed only two of the three gear lights were illuminated. The right main gear and tail gear lights were illuminated but the left main light was not indicating the gear was down & locked.

The pilot recycled the gear a few times without success. After attempting an emergency gear extension as well as trying "high g" maneuvers to aid in extending the gear the pilot decided to fly the aircraft to South Lakeland airport (X49), eight nautical miles sw of Lakeland linder airport. The pilot chose that airport in order to not interrupt an airshow which was about to start. Another consideration was the airport is a sod field airport.

Following a few low passes, attempting to determine if the gear problem was correctable in the air the pilot & a/c owner decided to land the a/c on the sod runway, gear-up.

The a/c landed with the gear retracted and later found that the left main tire was hung-up on some sheet metal which caused the gear to remain retracted due to being jammed by the sheet metal.

As the FAA filed it

ON 04/08/2017 @12:16 LT, AT SUN & FUN AT LAKELAND LINDER AIRPORT, N751TA, A T-51 KIT MODEL OF A P-51 AIRCRAFT WAS IN THE PATTERN AT THE AIRPORT DOING A DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT PRIOR TO AN AIR SHOW.

ON THE DOWNWIND LEG THE PILOT EXTENDED THE A/C LANDING GEAR AND WHEN HE CHECKED THE GEAR DOWN INDICATOR LIGHTS THE PILOT NOTICED ONLY TWO OF THE THREE GEAR LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR AND TAIL GEAR LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED BUT THE LEFT MAIN LIGHT WAS NOT INDICATING THE GEAR WAS DOWN & LOCKED.

THE PILOT RECYCLED THE GEAR A FEW TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS. AFTER ATTEMPTING AN EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION AS WELL AS TRYING "HIGH G" MANEUVERS TO AID IN EXTENDING THE GEAR THE PILOT DECIDED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT TO SOUTH LAKELAND AIRPORT (X49), EIGHT NAUTICAL MILES SW OF LAKELAND LINDER AIRPORT. THE PILOT CHOSE THAT AIRPORT IN ORDER TO NOT INTERRUPT AN AIRSHOW WHICH WAS ABOUT TO START. ANOTHER CONSIDERATION WAS THE AIRPORT IS A SOD FIELD AIRPORT.

FOLLOWING A FEW LOW PASSES, ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE IF THE GEAR PROBLEM WAS CORRECTABLE IN THE AIR THE PILOT & A/C OWNER DECIDED TO LAND THE A/C ON THE SOD RUNWAY, GEAR-UP.

THE A/C LANDED WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED AND LATER FOUND THAT THE LEFT MAIN TIRE WAS HUNG-UP ON SOME SHEET METAL WHICH CAUSED THE GEAR TO REMAIN RETRACTED DUE TO BEING JAMMED BY THE SHEET METAL.