What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On Monday October 14, 2019, at approximately 4:30 p.m. eastern daylight time, a 1992 Beechcraft bonanza with registration N8047R sustained major damage as a result of a gear up landing at the Douglas Municipal Airport (dqh) in Douglas, Georgia. There was one person on board with no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. This was a personal flight being conducted under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations part 91.
On Monday October 14, 2019 an FAA inspector from the atlanta flight standards district office (FSDO), travelled to the Douglas Municipal Airport to perform an assessment of the aircraft damage and to determine the root cause of the accident. Initial assessment of the aircraft revealed major structural damage to the bottom of the fuselage as a result of the aircraft striking the ground without the landing gear being extended and sliding along the pavement. Additionally, the propeller was bent upward as a result of it striking the runway during landing. No other damage was observed. An examination of the runway revealed that the aircraft touched down at about the 1000? Marker. There were no indications of tire marks only propeller strikes which continue for about 150? Down the runway. Next, you start to see scraping marks from where the belly of the aircraft made contact with the pavement as the aircraft slid for another 200? And finally came to rest just to the right of the runway.
Once on scene the FAA inspector was met by a lieutenant from the Douglas county fire department who was one of the first responders on scene. The lieutenant stated that when he arrived at the aircraft to make it safe, he noticed that the landing gear selector knob was in the ?up? Position. He immediately photographed the interior of the cockpit to include the landing gear knob position and closed the aircraft door. At this point the aircraft was determined to be safe and handed over to the local law enforcement agency. Then, the FAA inspector met with the pilot in command (PIC) to discuss the events that transpired during landing. The PIC stated that the landing gear system was operating as normal during landing and once the aircraft touched the pavement, the gear suddenly collapsed without warning. The aircraft was then transported to secure hangar until further evaluation could take place. Next, the FAA inspector was met by a law enforcement officer (leo) from the Georgia state patrol. The leo informed the FAA inspector that the PIC had been suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and a field sobriety had been conducted which revealed privacy data omitted as a result of the sobriety test, the PIC was being arrested and charged with operating an aircraft while under the influence of alcohol per Georgia code 6-2-5.1. Next, the leo stated that the PIC was being taken to the coffee regional medical center for a blood sample. An incident report from the Georgia state patrol was provided to the FAA which outlined the results and order of events of the sobriety test.
As the FAA filed it
ON MONDAY OCTOBER 14, 2019, AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A 1992 BEECHCRAFT BONANZA WITH REGISTRATION N8047R SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF A GEAR UP LANDING AT THE DOUGLAS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (DQH) IN DOUGLAS, GEORGIA. THERE WAS ONE PERSON ON BOARD WITH NO INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THIS WAS A PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91.
ON MONDAY OCTOBER 14, 2019 AN FAA INSPECTOR FROM THE ATLANTA FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO), TRAVELLED TO THE DOUGLAS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT TO PERFORM AN ASSESSMENT OF THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE AND TO DETERMINE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT. INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED MAJOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE AS A RESULT OF THE AIRCRAFT STRIKING THE GROUND WITHOUT THE LANDING GEAR BEING EXTENDED AND SLIDING ALONG THE PAVEMENT. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROPELLER WAS BENT UPWARD AS A RESULT OF IT STRIKING THE RUNWAY DURING LANDING. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. AN EXAMINATION OF THE RUNWAY REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AT ABOUT THE 1000? MARKER. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS OF TIRE MARKS ONLY PROPELLER STRIKES WHICH CONTINUE FOR ABOUT 150? DOWN THE RUNWAY. NEXT, YOU START TO SEE SCRAPING MARKS FROM WHERE THE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH THE PAVEMENT AS THE AIRCRAFT SLID FOR ANOTHER 200? AND FINALLY CAME TO REST JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY.
ONCE ON SCENE THE FAA INSPECTOR WAS MET BY A LIEUTENANT FROM THE DOUGLAS COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT WHO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS ON SCENE. THE LIEUTENANT STATED THAT WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE AIRCRAFT TO MAKE IT SAFE, HE NOTICED THAT THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR KNOB WAS IN THE ?UP? POSITION. HE IMMEDIATELY PHOTOGRAPHED THE INTERIOR OF THE COCKPIT TO INCLUDE THE LANDING GEAR KNOB POSITION AND CLOSED THE AIRCRAFT DOOR. AT THIS POINT THE AIRCRAFT WAS DETERMINED TO BE SAFE AND HANDED OVER TO THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEN, THE FAA INSPECTOR MET WITH THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) TO DISCUSS THE EVENTS THAT TRANSPIRED DURING LANDING. THE PIC STATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM WAS OPERATING AS NORMAL DURING LANDING AND ONCE THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED THE PAVEMENT, THE GEAR SUDDENLY COLLAPSED WITHOUT WARNING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN TRANSPORTED TO SECURE HANGAR UNTIL FURTHER EVALUATION COULD TAKE PLACE. NEXT, THE FAA INSPECTOR WAS MET BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER (LEO) FROM THE GEORGIA STATE PATROL. THE LEO INFORMED THE FAA INSPECTOR THAT THE PIC HAD BEEN SUSPECTED OF BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS AND A FIELD SOBRIETY HAD BEEN CONDUCTED WHICH REVEALED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AS A RESULT OF THE SOBRIETY TEST, THE PIC WAS BEING ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH OPERATING AN AIRCRAFT WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL PER GEORGIA CODE 6-2-5.1. NEXT, THE LEO STATED THAT THE PIC WAS BEING TAKEN TO THE COFFEE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER FOR A BLOOD SAMPLE. AN INCIDENT REPORT FROM THE GEORGIA STATE PATROL WAS PROVIDED TO THE FAA WHICH OUTLINED THE RESULTS AND ORDER OF EVENTS OF THE SOBRIETY TEST.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.