20171108018409I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Rutherfordton, NC · November 8, 2017

Date
November 8, 2017 · 16:26 local
Place
Rutherfordton, NC
Airport
Rutherford Co - Marchman Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6715A
Reported as
Piper PA-23-250
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
41,000 total

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 approach to land at fqd the NLG down and locked green indication light did not illuminate. Pilot switched light bulbs with no change. Pilot then attempted to extend gear with alternate gear hand pump. Light still did not illuminate. Pilot decided to land aircraft while keeping the nose gear off as long as possible. Aicraft initially settled on all three gear but during roll out the NLG collapsed resulting in damage to NLG doors, nose cone, nav antenna and prop blades on both engines.

As the FAA filed it

ON APPROACH TO LAND AT FQD THE NLG DOWN AND LOCKED GREEN INDICATION LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. PILOT SWITCHED LIGHT BULBS WITH NO CHANGE. PILOT THEN ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND GEAR WITH ALTERNATE GEAR HAND PUMP. LIGHT STILL DID NOT ILLUMINATE. PILOT DECIDED TO LAND AIRCRAFT WHILE KEEPING THE NOSE GEAR OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. AICRAFT INITIALLY SETTLED ON ALL THREE GEAR BUT DURING ROLL OUT THE NLG COLLAPSED RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO NLG DOORS, NOSE CONE, NAV ANTENNA AND PROP BLADES ON BOTH ENGINES.