# Incident 20190907012679I: Piper PA-32R-301, Caldwell, NJ, September 7, 2019

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 7, 2019, 10:47 local time
- Place: Caldwell, NJ
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.8392° N, 74.2770° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Caldwell, NJ, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8392&lon=-74.2770&mi=10
- Aircraft: N965JB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N965JB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32R-301 (registry code 7103218, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-301) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32R-301
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 458 total, 8 in this make and model, 18 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190907012679I

## Narrative

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

ON SEPTEMBER 07 AT 1447Z, AIRCRAFT N965JB A PIPER PA-32 LOST ELECTRICAL POWER AND LANDED GEAR UP AT KCDW AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED KCDW AROUND 1440Z ON A VFR FLIGHT TO THE NORTH WEST. THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE AIRPORT 5 MINUTES LATER DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND REQUESTED PERMISSION TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT.  KCDW TOWER INSTRUCTED THE AIRCRAFT TO ENTER THE LEFT DOWNWIND TO RUNWAY 4. THE AIRPORT TOWER ALSO ASKED THE PILOT IF ASSISTANCE WAS REQUIRED AND RECEIVED NO RESPONSE AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE LOCAL CONTROLLER ISSUED A LANDING CLEARANCE TO N965JB AND THE GROUND CONTROLLER ISSUED LIGHT SIGNALS TO LAND. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT TURNED FINAL, THE LOCAL CONTROLLER OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT GEAR WAS UP AND ISSUED A GO AROUND, GEAR APPEARS TO BE UP ON THE RADIO FREQUENCY. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED AND SLID DOWN RUNWAY FOUR APPROXIMATE 3000 FEET.

THE PILOT OF N965JB REPORTED TO THE FAA TETERBORO FLIGHT STANDARD OFFICE THAT AFTER TAKEOFF AND CLIMBED TO 2000 FEET EN-ROUTE TO SULLIVAN COUNTY AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT MANIFOLD GAUGE STARTED TO ACT ERRATIC. HE MADE 180-DEGREE TURN, AND WAS HEADING BACK TO KCDW WHEN THE OIL PRESSURE AND MANIFOLD GAUGE WENT TO ZERO. HE WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE TOWER TO REPORT MID-FIELD DOWNWIND RUNWAY 4. ON DOWNWIND APPROACH, THE PILOT LOST ELECTRICAL POWER AND NOTIFIED THE TOWER BY ROCKING THE AIRCRAFT WINGS. THE PILOT TRIED TO LOWER THE AIRCRAFT GEAR AND FLAPS, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. HE STATED THAT, ?I LOWERED THE GEAR HANDLE AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO LOWER GEAR MANUALLY. I WAS UNABLE TO PULL THE ORANGE KNOB OUT AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AND DECIDED THAT IF MY ENGINE WERE ON THE VERGE OF SEIZING DUE TO AN OIL ISSUE, I MAY HAVE ONLY ONE ATTEMPT AT LANDING EVEN IF IT WAS GEAR UP. I KEPT SCANNING FOR THE TOWER TO USE THE LIGHT SIGNAL GUN BUT NEVER NOTICED A SIGNAL, LIKELY BECAUSE MY ATTENTION WAS BACK AND FORTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CABIN."

ON OCTOBER 02, 2019, C&W AERO SERVICES INC (HX1R208K) INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND THE ALTERNATOR BELT SHREDDED.

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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