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20200212000529I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech A36 · Kalamazoo, MI · February 12, 2020

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 12, 2020 · 15:37 local
Place
Kalamazoo, MI
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N582TM
Reported as
Beech A36
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,315 total
N582TMRegistered now · Beech A36S/N E-582 · Built 1974Airframe modelBeech A36Engine modelContinental IO-520 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.

On February 12, 2020 at 1537 eastern, a Beech A36 bonanza, N582TM sustained minor damage during a gear-up landing at Kalamazoo/battle creek international airport (azo), Kalamazoo, Michigan. The aircraft was owned and operated by a private pilot under the provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations (CFR) part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the incident. The local flight originated from the dupont-lapeer airport (D95), lapeer, Michigan approximately 1 hour prior to the incident.

According to the pilot he had just picked the aircraft up from having avionics worked performed and was returning to his private airport. During the pre-landing checklist the gear handle was lowered but, only the main gear showed a down and locked condition. The nose gear indicator did not illuminate so the pilot decided to break off the approach and troubleshoot the issue. The pilot recycled the gear handle with the same outcome as previous and attempted to view the nose gear in the left wing mirror but was unable to confirm if the gear was in a down and locked position. At this point the pilot elected to fly to bishop international airport (fnt), flint, Michigan to have personnel in the tower see if they could confirm the nose gear position, which they could not. The pilot then flew to Kalamazoo where his maintenance provider is located and again attempted to troubleshoot the issue. During this time the pilot reported losing all panel electrical including all avionics but was able to reestablish power shortly after. The pilot also states he attempted to manually extend the gear but, it felt jammed. Ultimately, the pilot elected to land at Kalamazoo with the entire landing gear retracted. Once the aircraft was on the ground the pilot successful egressed the aircraft as airport authorities arrived on site.

Airport personnel were able to raise the aircraft and manually lower the entire gear to the down and locked position. The aircraft was towed to the pilot?s maintenance provider?s hangar and secured. Inspection of the aircraft showed only minor belly skin and antenna damage. The landing gear showed no mechanical anomalies or damage. When aircraft power was turned on the nose gear indicator remained off even with the gear down and locked. The nose gear indicator lamp did illuminate following slight finger tapping to show all three gear to be in the down and locked position.

As the FAA filed it

ON FEBRUARY 12, 2020 AT 1537 EASTERN, A BEECH A36 BONANZA, N582TM SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DURING A GEAR-UP LANDING AT KALAMAZOO/BATTLE CREEK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (AZO), KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT WAS UNINJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE DUPONT-LAPEER AIRPORT (D95), LAPEER, MICHIGAN APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT.

ACCORDING TO THE PILOT HE HAD JUST PICKED THE AIRCRAFT UP FROM HAVING AVIONICS WORKED PERFORMED AND WAS RETURNING TO HIS PRIVATE AIRPORT. DURING THE PRE-LANDING CHECKLIST THE GEAR HANDLE WAS LOWERED BUT, ONLY THE MAIN GEAR SHOWED A DOWN AND LOCKED CONDITION. THE NOSE GEAR INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE SO THE PILOT DECIDED TO BREAK OFF THE APPROACH AND TROUBLESHOOT THE ISSUE. THE PILOT RECYCLED THE GEAR HANDLE WITH THE SAME OUTCOME AS PREVIOUS AND ATTEMPTED TO VIEW THE NOSE GEAR IN THE LEFT WING MIRROR BUT WAS UNABLE TO CONFIRM IF THE GEAR WAS IN A DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. AT THIS POINT THE PILOT ELECTED TO FLY TO BISHOP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (FNT), FLINT, MICHIGAN TO HAVE PERSONNEL IN THE TOWER SEE IF THEY COULD CONFIRM THE NOSE GEAR POSITION, WHICH THEY COULD NOT. THE PILOT THEN FLEW TO KALAMAZOO WHERE HIS MAINTENANCE PROVIDER IS LOCATED AND AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO TROUBLESHOOT THE ISSUE. DURING THIS TIME THE PILOT REPORTED LOSING ALL PANEL ELECTRICAL INCLUDING ALL AVIONICS BUT WAS ABLE TO REESTABLISH POWER SHORTLY AFTER. THE PILOT ALSO STATES HE ATTEMPTED TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE GEAR BUT, IT FELT JAMMED. ULTIMATELY, THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND AT KALAMAZOO WITH THE ENTIRE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. ONCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON THE GROUND THE PILOT SUCCESSFUL EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT AS AIRPORT AUTHORITIES ARRIVED ON SITE.

AIRPORT PERSONNEL WERE ABLE TO RAISE THE AIRCRAFT AND MANUALLY LOWER THE ENTIRE GEAR TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED TO THE PILOT?S MAINTENANCE PROVIDER?S HANGAR AND SECURED. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED ONLY MINOR BELLY SKIN AND ANTENNA DAMAGE. THE LANDING GEAR SHOWED NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES OR DAMAGE. WHEN AIRCRAFT POWER WAS TURNED ON THE NOSE GEAR INDICATOR REMAINED OFF EVEN WITH THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. THE NOSE GEAR INDICATOR LAMP DID ILLUMINATE FOLLOWING SLIGHT FINGER TAPPING TO SHOW ALL THREE GEAR TO BE IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION.