# Incident 20180523005839I: Piper PA-31-350, Fort Lauderdale, FL, May 23, 2018

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 23, 2018, 15:19 local time
- Place: Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Airport: Fort Lauderdale Executive
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: M7JA
- Location: 26.1973° N, 80.1707° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FORT LAUDERDALE EXEC (FXE), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.1973&lon=-80.1707&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3525G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3525G-2022-03-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31-350 (registry code 7103110, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-31-350
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TI0-540 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 27,500 total, 78 in this make and model, 78 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180523005839I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DURING LANDING APPROACH, ATTEMPTED TO LOWER LANDING GEAR, THE LANDING GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN. RECYCLED THE LANDING GEAR LEVER AND LANDING GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN. CONDUCTED EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR DOWN PROCEDURES AND THE LANDING GEAR DID NOT MOVE DOWN. LANDED THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE LANDING GEAR UP. FXE AIRPORT WAS IN RADIO CONTACT TO CLEAR RUNWAY FOR EMERGENCY LANDING. AIRCRAFT LANDED SMOOTHLY WITH DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF AIRCRAFT. NO INJURIES REPORTED. CONDUCTED INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT AND AIRCRAFT RECORDS. NOTHING NOTED TO AIRCRAFT RECORDS CHECK. INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE HYDRAULIC RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED HYDRAULIC LEAKAGE ON THE L/H ENGINE. L/H ENGINE HYDRAULIC LEAKAGE WAS FOUND AT THE HYDRAULIC OUT LINE THROUGH THE ENGINE FIREWALL. THE HYDRAULIC OUT LINE FROM L/H ENGINE WAS CHAFING ON THE ALTERNATE AIR PULL CABLE THROUGH THE FIREWALL. THE ALTERNATE AIR PULL CABLE CHAFFED THROUGH THE HYDRAULIC LINE CAUSING THE HYDRAULIC FLUID TO SPRAY OUT INTO THE L/H WING CAVITY. PILOT INTERVIEW REVEALED THE PIC DID NOT CLEARLY UNDERSTAND HOW TO OPERATE THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR PUMP HANDLE. PIC STATED HE PULLED OUT THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR PUMP HANDLE AND STARTED TO PUMP. THE PUMPING OF THE HANDLE GOT HARDER TO PUSH DOWN, SO THE PIC DISCONTINUED TO PUMP THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR PUMP HANDLE. THE PIC STATED HE ONLY PUMPED THE HANDLE ABOUT 10 TIMES BEFORE IT GOT TO HARD TO PUSH DOWN.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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