20180806010349I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-44-180 · Trenton, NJ · August 6, 2018

Date
August 6, 2018 · 14:15 local
Place
Trenton, NJ
Airport
Trenton-Mercer
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N263AT
Reported as
Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
500 total80 in this make and model30 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.

8/6/2018 Pilot on multi-engine training flight departed ttn with kblm as destination.

When entering downwind leg at kblm, gear down checklist started. When gear handle placed in the down position, the left main gear (down and locked) indicator failed to illuminate (green) and the master gear unsafe warning (red) light was illuminated with associated aural tone.

The gear switch was cycled but gear would not retract. The gear switch was placed back in the down position and remained there for the duration of the flight.

The pilot attempted some ?g? Maneuvers to help the left main gear transition to the full down and locked position and he reviewed ATP manual gear extension checklist but his efforts did not resolve the situation.

Pilot and student checked indicator bulbs, circuit breakers and ran through (I.e reviewed) the ATP manual gear extension checklist again, still no help.

Pilot returned to kttn and informed air traffic control of his situation.

He requested a low approach by the ATC tower, to allow ATC to visually see if the left main gear was in fact down.

The tower reported that the left main gear appeared to be down.

Following this (ATC) confirmation, the pilot decided to configure the aircraft for landing at kttn.

During approach (downwind leg ), in accordance with the ATP integrated flight flow checklist, the pilot pulled the emergency gear extension knob but this again did not fix the problem, the left main gear indication was still not illuminated and the master gear unsafe warning (red) light was illuminated with associated aural tone heard. The pilot declared an emergency.

As precautionary, the pilot shut down the number 1 engine and feathered the prop on final approach to avoid prop strike and engine damage, and unlatched the door in preparation for exit.

The aircraft touched down (ttn runway 24) primarily on the right main gear and then softly on to the left. As the left gear touched down the pilot could feel the gear begin to collapse beneath him. He immediately shut down number 2 engine and set the aircraft down as soft as possible.

The aircraft came to rest on runway 24 with the left main gear collapsed.

There were no injuries, no damage to engines or propellers and initial inspection of the aircraft shows minor damage to the left wing underside. Damage does not appear to be substantial.

As the FAA filed it

8/6/2018 PILOT ON MULTI-ENGINE TRAINING FLIGHT DEPARTED TTN WITH KBLM AS DESTINATION.

WHEN ENTERING DOWNWIND LEG AT KBLM, GEAR DOWN CHECKLIST STARTED. WHEN GEAR HANDLE PLACED IN THE DOWN POSITION, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR (DOWN AND LOCKED) INDICATOR FAILED TO ILLUMINATE (GREEN) AND THE MASTER GEAR UNSAFE WARNING (RED) LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED WITH ASSOCIATED AURAL TONE.

THE GEAR SWITCH WAS CYCLED BUT GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. THE GEAR SWITCH WAS PLACED BACK IN THE DOWN POSITION AND REMAINED THERE FOR THE DURATION OF THE FLIGHT.

THE PILOT ATTEMPTED SOME ?G? MANEUVERS TO HELP THE LEFT MAIN GEAR TRANSITION TO THE FULL DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION AND HE REVIEWED ATP MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION CHECKLIST BUT HIS EFFORTS DID NOT RESOLVE THE SITUATION.

PILOT AND STUDENT CHECKED INDICATOR BULBS, CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND RAN THROUGH (I.E REVIEWED) THE ATP MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION CHECKLIST AGAIN, STILL NO HELP.

PILOT RETURNED TO KTTN AND INFORMED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL OF HIS SITUATION.

HE REQUESTED A LOW APPROACH BY THE ATC TOWER, TO ALLOW ATC TO VISUALLY SEE IF THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS IN FACT DOWN.

THE TOWER REPORTED THAT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN.

FOLLOWING THIS (ATC) CONFIRMATION, THE PILOT DECIDED TO CONFIGURE THE AIRCRAFT FOR LANDING AT KTTN.

DURING APPROACH (DOWNWIND LEG ), IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ATP INTEGRATED FLIGHT FLOW CHECKLIST, THE PILOT PULLED THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION KNOB BUT THIS AGAIN DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR INDICATION WAS STILL NOT ILLUMINATED AND THE MASTER GEAR UNSAFE WARNING (RED) LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED WITH ASSOCIATED AURAL TONE HEARD. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY.

AS PRECAUTIONARY, THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE NUMBER 1 ENGINE AND FEATHERED THE PROP ON FINAL APPROACH TO AVOID PROP STRIKE AND ENGINE DAMAGE, AND UNLATCHED THE DOOR IN PREPARATION FOR EXIT.

THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN (TTN RUNWAY 24) PRIMARILY ON THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR AND THEN SOFTLY ON TO THE LEFT. AS THE LEFT GEAR TOUCHED DOWN THE PILOT COULD FEEL THE GEAR BEGIN TO COLLAPSE BENEATH HIM. HE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN NUMBER 2 ENGINE AND SET THE AIRCRAFT DOWN AS SOFT AS POSSIBLE.

THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON RUNWAY 24 WITH THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED.

THERE WERE NO INJURIES, NO DAMAGE TO ENGINES OR PROPELLERS AND INITIAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWS MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING UNDERSIDE. DAMAGE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE SUBSTANTIAL.

Other reports on N263AT · 1

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