20200214001079I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-44-180 · Mckinney, TX · February 14, 2020

Date
February 14, 2020 · 11:15 local
Place
Mckinney, TX
Airport
Mckinney National
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N805AT
Reported as
Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360-A1H6
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
303 total7 in this make and model25 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.

At approximately 11:15 CST on February 14, 2020, N805AT, came to rest on runway 18 at the Mckinney National Airport (ktki) with the landing gear in the retracted position. Visual meteorological conditions were prevailing, and the previous METAR reported at 16:53Z was 10006KT 10SM clr 03/04 A3050. The incident flight was being operated under 14 CFR part 91 for the purpose of conducting a part 61 airman proficiency test to add a multi-engine rating to the applicants commercial pilot certificate. Pilot applicant privacy data omitted, FAA certificate number privacy data omitted , was occupying the left seat. Designated pilot examiner, privacy data omitted, FAA certificate number privacy data omitted, was occupying the right seat.

At the time of the incident, the applicant?s performance during the proficiency test had been satisfactory, and this normal landing was the final task to be completed. Prior to the incident the applicant had performed an aborted landing to runway 18 and had been issued an extended right-hand downwind leg by the tki air traffic control tower (ATCT) to accommodate other traffic. Both pilots stated that the normal landing checklist is normally began abeam the landing threshold, and extending the landing gear normally occurs at this time. However, both pilots agreed to suspend the landing checklist and delay the gear extension until they were established in a more appropriate position in the pattern. Execution of the landing checklist was never resumed.

FAA inspectors conducted post-incident interviews with both pilots. Each revealed that they could not recall hearing a landing gear warning horn. Furthermore, neither could recall hearing the warning horn sound when performing other in-flight maneuvers earlier during the flight test which would normally cause it to sound. A post incident mechanical investigation revealed that the gear warning lights installed in the aircraft operated normally, and in accordance with manufacturers design, however, the associated warning horn did not activate properly.

As the FAA filed it

AT APPROXIMATELY 11:15 CST ON FEBRUARY 14, 2020, N805AT, CAME TO REST ON RUNWAY 18 AT THE MCKINNEY NATIONAL AIRPORT (KTKI) WITH THE LANDING GEAR IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WERE PREVAILING, AND THE PREVIOUS METAR REPORTED AT 16:53Z WAS 10006KT 10SM CLR 03/04 A3050. THE INCIDENT FLIGHT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING A PART 61 AIRMAN PROFICIENCY TEST TO ADD A MULTI-ENGINE RATING TO THE APPLICANTS COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE. PILOT APPLICANT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, FAA CERTIFICATE NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ , WAS OCCUPYING THE LEFT SEAT. DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, FAA CERTIFICATE NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS OCCUPYING THE RIGHT SEAT.

AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE APPLICANT?S PERFORMANCE DURING THE PROFICIENCY TEST HAD BEEN SATISFACTORY, AND THIS NORMAL LANDING WAS THE FINAL TASK TO BE COMPLETED. PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT THE APPLICANT HAD PERFORMED AN ABORTED LANDING TO RUNWAY 18 AND HAD BEEN ISSUED AN EXTENDED RIGHT-HAND DOWNWIND LEG BY THE TKI AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER (ATCT) TO ACCOMMODATE OTHER TRAFFIC. BOTH PILOTS STATED THAT THE NORMAL LANDING CHECKLIST IS NORMALLY BEGAN ABEAM THE LANDING THRESHOLD, AND EXTENDING THE LANDING GEAR NORMALLY OCCURS AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, BOTH PILOTS AGREED TO SUSPEND THE LANDING CHECKLIST AND DELAY THE GEAR EXTENSION UNTIL THEY WERE ESTABLISHED IN A MORE APPROPRIATE POSITION IN THE PATTERN. EXECUTION OF THE LANDING CHECKLIST WAS NEVER RESUMED.

FAA INSPECTORS CONDUCTED POST-INCIDENT INTERVIEWS WITH BOTH PILOTS. EACH REVEALED THAT THEY COULD NOT RECALL HEARING A LANDING GEAR WARNING HORN. FURTHERMORE, NEITHER COULD RECALL HEARING THE WARNING HORN SOUND WHEN PERFORMING OTHER IN-FLIGHT MANEUVERS EARLIER DURING THE FLIGHT TEST WHICH WOULD NORMALLY CAUSE IT TO SOUND. A POST INCIDENT MECHANICAL INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE GEAR WARNING LIGHTS INSTALLED IN THE AIRCRAFT OPERATED NORMALLY, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH MANUFACTURERS DESIGN, HOWEVER, THE ASSOCIATED WARNING HORN DID NOT ACTIVATE PROPERLY.