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20170616021639I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-310 · Portsmouth, NH · June 16, 2017

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 16, 2017 · 17:01 local
Place
Portsmouth, NH
Airport
Portsmouth International Airpo
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N911SD
Reported as
Piper PA-31-310
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
5,558 total665 in this make and model70 in the last 90 days
N911SDRegistered now · Piper PA-31-310S/N 31-7300919 · Built 1973Airframe modelPiper PA-31-310Engine 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.

Pilot experienced dual propeller strikes during landing due to gear being in the up position. Conditions at the time of the event were light rain, 7SM visibility, broken clouds at 1400 ft. runway 16 in use. Pilot heard/felt metal contact runway during landing flare and immediately power and climbed away from the runway. Aircraft entered the traffic pattern and returned to runway 16 for landing. During the go around and traffic pattern, pilot experienced no vibration or engine abnormalities. Damage to propeller tips was discovered after engine shutdown. No other damage to the aircraft was identified.

Pilot reported that during the approach, the aircraft was in and out of the clouds with no forward visibility. The pilot elected to use the autopilot during the approach to determine operational status. Pilot described scenario in which the autopilot began to deviate left and right of course at 800 feet MSL. At 400 feet, the pilot disengaged the autopilot and hand flew the remainder of the approach. The pilot acknowledged his failure to verify "3 green" prior to landing. The pilot stated that he felt that the discussions he had with the passenger regarding the autopilot overshadowed his mind during the approach and landing and that he deviated from his landing checklist.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT EXPERIENCED DUAL PROPELLER STRIKES DURING LANDING DUE TO GEAR BEING IN THE UP POSITION. CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT WERE LIGHT RAIN, 7SM VISIBILITY, BROKEN CLOUDS AT 1400 FT. RUNWAY 16 IN USE. PILOT HEARD/FELT METAL CONTACT RUNWAY DURING LANDING FLARE AND IMMEDIATELY POWER AND CLIMBED AWAY FROM THE RUNWAY. AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AND RETURNED TO RUNWAY 16 FOR LANDING. DURING THE GO AROUND AND TRAFFIC PATTERN, PILOT EXPERIENCED NO VIBRATION OR ENGINE ABNORMALITIES. DAMAGE TO PROPELLER TIPS WAS DISCOVERED AFTER ENGINE SHUTDOWN. NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS IDENTIFIED.

PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING THE APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS WITH NO FORWARD VISIBILITY. THE PILOT ELECTED TO USE THE AUTOPILOT DURING THE APPROACH TO DETERMINE OPERATIONAL STATUS. PILOT DESCRIBED SCENARIO IN WHICH THE AUTOPILOT BEGAN TO DEVIATE LEFT AND RIGHT OF COURSE AT 800 FEET MSL. AT 400 FEET, THE PILOT DISENGAGED THE AUTOPILOT AND HAND FLEW THE REMAINDER OF THE APPROACH. THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED HIS FAILURE TO VERIFY "3 GREEN" PRIOR TO LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE FELT THAT THE DISCUSSIONS HE HAD WITH THE PASSENGER REGARDING THE AUTOPILOT OVERSHADOWED HIS MIND DURING THE APPROACH AND LANDING AND THAT HE DEVIATED FROM HIS LANDING CHECKLIST.