20200601001939A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Beech A36 · Batavia, NY · June 1, 2020

Date
June 1, 2020 · 12:15 local
Place
Batavia, NY
Airport
Genesee County Airport
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N15DN
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA20CA203
Reported as
Beech A36
Reported engine
Continental IO-550 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
949 total

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 6/1/2020, N15DN sustained substantial damage in a gear up landing at gvq (Batavia, NY). The pilot picked up the aircraft after maintenance and departed gvq in day VFR conditions. Maintenance had consisted of an engine oil and filter change, as well as a comm repair. The pilot reported normal operations until reaching a cruising altitude of 5500 feet. At this point, he received a GPS fault message and elected to return to gvq for repair. Shortly after making the turn back to the airport, the second GPS failed with a message that there was a coax electrical short. Both GPS instruments began flashing, as well as the pdf. The pilot began pulling circuit breakers on the nav/comm panel fearing a electrical short circuit and hoping to avoid a fire. Since he was high and fast, he began "s" turns to decrease altitude for a straight in approach to gvq. When the pilot selected flaps, they did not extend. Fearing he had unintentionally disabled them when he pulled the circuit breakers, he began resetting them in the hope of regaining his flaps. The flaps would still not extend. At this point he performed a zero flap landing, but had never attempted to extend the landing gear. The aircraft landed on it's belly on the runway and came to a stop. The pilot then exited the aircraft without injury. The maintenance shop was able to raise the aircraft and extend the gear, and it was then towed to the ramp and tied down. When interviewing the pilot, he was asked if the alternator was functioning properly, of if he had any failure indication. The pilot then reviewed video he had taken to document the failures, and was able to see that there were two (2) light capsules in the glareshield, possibly low voltage or alternator fail annunciators, and that although the battery switch was on, the alternator and standby alternator switches appear to be off. This would lead to a depletion of the battery, and subsequently the failure mode that the aircraft experienced. The pilot provided a signed statement to this effect.

As the FAA filed it

ON 6/1/2020, N15DN SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE IN A GEAR UP LANDING AT GVQ (BATAVIA, NY). THE PILOT PICKED UP THE AIRCRAFT AFTER MAINTENANCE AND DEPARTED GVQ IN DAY VFR CONDITIONS. MAINTENANCE HAD CONSISTED OF AN ENGINE OIL AND FILTER CHANGE, AS WELL AS A COMM REPAIR. THE PILOT REPORTED NORMAL OPERATIONS UNTIL REACHING A CRUISING ALTITUDE OF 5500 FEET. AT THIS POINT, HE RECEIVED A GPS FAULT MESSAGE AND ELECTED TO RETURN TO GVQ FOR REPAIR. SHORTLY AFTER MAKING THE TURN BACK TO THE AIRPORT, THE SECOND GPS FAILED WITH A MESSAGE THAT THERE WAS A COAX ELECTRICAL SHORT. BOTH GPS INSTRUMENTS BEGAN FLASHING, AS WELL AS THE PDF. THE PILOT BEGAN PULLING CIRCUIT BREAKERS ON THE NAV/COMM PANEL FEARING A ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT AND HOPING TO AVOID A FIRE. SINCE HE WAS HIGH AND FAST, HE BEGAN "S" TURNS TO DECREASE ALTITUDE FOR A STRAIGHT IN APPROACH TO GVQ. WHEN THE PILOT SELECTED FLAPS, THEY DID NOT EXTEND. FEARING HE HAD UNINTENTIONALLY DISABLED THEM WHEN HE PULLED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS, HE BEGAN RESETTING THEM IN THE HOPE OF REGAINING HIS FLAPS. THE FLAPS WOULD STILL NOT EXTEND. AT THIS POINT HE PERFORMED A ZERO FLAP LANDING, BUT HAD NEVER ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON IT'S BELLY ON THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO A STOP. THE PILOT THEN EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURY. THE MAINTENANCE SHOP WAS ABLE TO RAISE THE AIRCRAFT AND EXTEND THE GEAR, AND IT WAS THEN TOWED TO THE RAMP AND TIED DOWN. WHEN INTERVIEWING THE PILOT, HE WAS ASKED IF THE ALTERNATOR WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, OF IF HE HAD ANY FAILURE INDICATION. THE PILOT THEN REVIEWED VIDEO HE HAD TAKEN TO DOCUMENT THE FAILURES, AND WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT THERE WERE TWO (2) LIGHT CAPSULES IN THE GLARESHIELD, POSSIBLY LOW VOLTAGE OR ALTERNATOR FAIL ANNUNCIATORS, AND THAT ALTHOUGH THE BATTERY SWITCH WAS ON, THE ALTERNATOR AND STANDBY ALTERNATOR SWITCHES APPEAR TO BE OFF. THIS WOULD LEAD TO A DEPLETION OF THE BATTERY, AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE FAILURE MODE THAT THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED. THE PILOT PROVIDED A SIGNED STATEMENT TO THIS EFFECT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.