20170902012119I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-44-180 · Pensacola, FL · September 2, 2017

Date
September 2, 2017 · 13:55 local
Place
Pensacola, FL
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N44K
Reported as
Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,860 total15 in this make and model125 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.

Airman and CFI were conducting a training flight in preparation for a practical test. After multiple touch and go landings and then maneuvers review in the practice area, all without incident, student completed a VOR practice approach to runway 8. Airman selected gear down at the faf and noted three green gear lights as well as a visual check of the nose gear down in the cowling mirror. The stabilized approach was normal during which the CFI also verified three green lights and the nose wheel down. Student flaired and touched down on the main wheels. Nose wheel touched and then collapsed within a second or two. Damage limited to bent propellers on both engines and scrapes on nose wheel doors and underside of nose.

As the FAA filed it

AIRMAN AND CFI WERE CONDUCTING A TRAINING FLIGHT IN PREPARATION FOR A PRACTICAL TEST. AFTER MULTIPLE TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS AND THEN MANEUVERS REVIEW IN THE PRACTICE AREA, ALL WITHOUT INCIDENT, STUDENT COMPLETED A VOR PRACTICE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 8. AIRMAN SELECTED GEAR DOWN AT THE FAF AND NOTED THREE GREEN GEAR LIGHTS AS WELL AS A VISUAL CHECK OF THE NOSE GEAR DOWN IN THE COWLING MIRROR. THE STABILIZED APPROACH WAS NORMAL DURING WHICH THE CFI ALSO VERIFIED THREE GREEN LIGHTS AND THE NOSE WHEEL DOWN. STUDENT FLAIRED AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN WHEELS. NOSE WHEEL TOUCHED AND THEN COLLAPSED WITHIN A SECOND OR TWO. DAMAGE LIMITED TO BENT PROPELLERS ON BOTH ENGINES AND SCRAPES ON NOSE WHEEL DOORS AND UNDERSIDE OF NOSE.