20190824023939A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-24-250 · Wendover, NV · August 24, 2019

Date: August 24, 2019 · 17:45 local
Place: Wendover, NV
Airport: Wendover Airport
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N6696P
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR19LA239
Reported as: Piper PA-24-250
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,100 total100 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N6696PRegistration cancelled Jan 10, 2020 · Piper PA-24-250S/N 24-1821 · Built 1960 Airframe modelPiper PA-24-250 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

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.

The accident pilot and passenger were approaching Wendover field and activated the landing gear switch and watched for the confirmation light to come on. The light was dark. The pilot activated the landing gear switch again and again and the confirmation light did not come on. The emergency release lever was activated for the landing gear but nothing happened. The pilot and passenger tried the switch and landing gear handle over and over many times, but still nothing happened. The pilot declared an emergency and a medical helicopter in the area reported seeing the gear about one third of the way down. The pilot tried g-force maneuvers up and down and side to side with no change to the landing gear. The pilot notified the tower that they had to land and had no other options. The tower directed the pilot to land in the dirt adjacent to the runway. The aircraft landed, gear up, and came to rest with no injuries to the pilot or passenger.

As the FAA filed it

THE ACCIDENT PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE APPROACHING WENDOVER FIELD AND ACTIVATED THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH AND WATCHED FOR THE CONFIRMATION LIGHT TO COME ON. THE LIGHT WAS DARK. THE PILOT ACTIVATED THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH AGAIN AND AGAIN AND THE CONFIRMATION LIGHT DID NOT COME ON. THE EMERGENCY RELEASE LEVER WAS ACTIVATED FOR THE LANDING GEAR BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER TRIED THE SWITCH AND LANDING GEAR HANDLE OVER AND OVER MANY TIMES, BUT STILL NOTHING HAPPENED. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND A MEDICAL HELICOPTER IN THE AREA REPORTED SEEING THE GEAR ABOUT ONE THIRD OF THE WAY DOWN. THE PILOT TRIED G-FORCE MANEUVERS UP AND DOWN AND SIDE TO SIDE WITH NO CHANGE TO THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT NOTIFIED THE TOWER THAT THEY HAD TO LAND AND HAD NO OTHER OPTIONS. THE TOWER DIRECTED THE PILOT TO LAND IN THE DIRT ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED, GEAR UP, AND CAME TO REST WITH NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT OR PASSENGER.

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 WPR19LA239Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportWendover, UTFailure of the landing gear solenoid, which resulted in failure of the landing gear position switch, and the pilot's subsequent inability to extend the gear using the manual emergency extension system for undetermined reasons.Aug 24, 2019 · Substantial damage