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20180207002089A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-24-260 · Fargo, ND · February 7, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 7, 2018 · 17:29 local
Place
Fargo, ND
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N9360P
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN18LA097
Reported as
Piper PA-24-260
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
113 total5 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days
N9360PRegistration cancelled Aug 14, 2023 · Piper PA-24-260S/N 24-4860Airframe modelPiper PA-24-260Engine 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.

Feb, 7, 2018 aircraft was involved with a gear collapse after landing at Fargo hector airport approximately 1744 on runway 18. Aircraft had veered off the runway to the left and struck a runway intersection sign. Initial damage to the aircraft was center of right wing leading edge skin compressed and torn back to spar, no signs of spar damage. Nose gear actuator rod was found broken - appears as a result of aircraft going off in the snow.

Interview with the pilot on feb. 8, 2018: had left vic's aircraft after pre-flight performed in the aircraft in the hanger, taxied to Fargo jet center (fjc) to meet other party members in a additional aircraft. When leaving fjc aircraft would not start, after about 30MIN ground personnel were able to provide a gpu start. Pilot ran aircraft for about 10 mins to charge battery and verified by checking ammeter. Charging was about 14 amps. Taxied out to run way and performed run up however did not verify ammeter. After departure noticed he did not receive radio call from tower and saw the all the radios were black. Pilot entered back in to pattern for FAR and change transponder setting for no communication and rocked wings. Fargo gave him a green light, air carrier traffic was in the pattern as well and initiated a go around, so he prepared to land on runway 18. Selected gear down by normal procedures and then due to electrical failure initiated emergency gear extension. Pilot was unable to remove cover plate to emergency gear handle so he just bent it back, then placed rod into right hole on torque tube and moved it forward and rocked back and forth, checked mirrors on wing tips and gear appeared to be down. On touch down gear did collapsed and the aircraft slide off the runway.

Pilot was not able to see the emergency gear extension instruction on the cover plate since he could not get it removed and failed to use emergency procedures in the AFM or abbreviated check list and failed to properly extend the gear.

As the FAA filed it

FEB, 7, 2018 AIRCRAFT WAS INVOLVED WITH A GEAR COLLAPSE AFTER LANDING AT FARGO HECTOR AIRPORT APPROXIMATELY 1744 ON RUNWAY 18. AIRCRAFT HAD VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY TO THE LEFT AND STRUCK A RUNWAY INTERSECTION SIGN. INITIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS CENTER OF RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE SKIN COMPRESSED AND TORN BACK TO SPAR, NO SIGNS OF SPAR DAMAGE. NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR ROD WAS FOUND BROKEN - APPEARS AS A RESULT OF AIRCRAFT GOING OFF IN THE SNOW.

INTERVIEW WITH THE PILOT ON FEB. 8, 2018: HAD LEFT VIC'S AIRCRAFT AFTER PRE-FLIGHT PERFORMED IN THE AIRCRAFT IN THE HANGER, TAXIED TO FARGO JET CENTER (FJC) TO MEET OTHER PARTY MEMBERS IN A ADDITIONAL AIRCRAFT. WHEN LEAVING FJC AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT START, AFTER ABOUT 30MIN GROUND PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE A GPU START. PILOT RAN AIRCRAFT FOR ABOUT 10 MINS TO CHARGE BATTERY AND VERIFIED BY CHECKING AMMETER. CHARGING WAS ABOUT 14 AMPS. TAXIED OUT TO RUN WAY AND PERFORMED RUN UP HOWEVER DID NOT VERIFY AMMETER. AFTER DEPARTURE NOTICED HE DID NOT RECEIVE RADIO CALL FROM TOWER AND SAW THE ALL THE RADIOS WERE BLACK. PILOT ENTERED BACK IN TO PATTERN FOR FAR AND CHANGE TRANSPONDER SETTING FOR NO COMMUNICATION AND ROCKED WINGS. FARGO GAVE HIM A GREEN LIGHT, AIR CARRIER TRAFFIC WAS IN THE PATTERN AS WELL AND INITIATED A GO AROUND, SO HE PREPARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 18. SELECTED GEAR DOWN BY NORMAL PROCEDURES AND THEN DUE TO ELECTRICAL FAILURE INITIATED EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION. PILOT WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE COVER PLATE TO EMERGENCY GEAR HANDLE SO HE JUST BENT IT BACK, THEN PLACED ROD INTO RIGHT HOLE ON TORQUE TUBE AND MOVED IT FORWARD AND ROCKED BACK AND FORTH, CHECKED MIRRORS ON WING TIPS AND GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN. ON TOUCH DOWN GEAR DID COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT SLIDE OFF THE RUNWAY.

PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION INSTRUCTION ON THE COVER PLATE SINCE HE COULD NOT GET IT REMOVED AND FAILED TO USE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES IN THE AFM OR ABBREVIATED CHECK LIST AND FAILED TO PROPERLY EXTEND THE GEAR.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN18LA097Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportFargo, NDThe pilot's failure to use the published emergency procedures to manually extend the landing gear when an electrical failure precluded normal extension of the landing gear, resulting in the gear collapse during landing. Contributing to the accident was the…Feb 8, 2018 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N9360P · 3

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20091210023759ILanding · Casper, WYPrior to landing pilot reported to cpr tower that both normal and manual landing gear extension systems were inoperative. Pilot asked tower for visual conformation of gear position. While pilot was pumping manual extension handle tower reported landing gear…Dec 10, 2009 · Minor damageIncident 20091209025749ILanding: Touchdown · Casper, WYPrior to landing pilot reported to cpr tower that both normal and manual landing gear extension systems were inoperative. Pilot asked tower for visual confirmation of gear position. While pilot was pumping manual extension handle tower reported landing gear…Dec 9, 2009 · Minor damageIncident 19910424017969IRoll-Out (Fixed Wing) · Scottsbluff, NELanding gear collapsed on landing rollout. Found the rivets for the retraction tranmission assembly had sheared.Apr 24, 1991 · Minor damage