# Incident 20210111000489I: Piper PA-24-260B, New Castle, DE, January 11, 2021

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 11, 2021, 08:20 local time
- Place: New Castle, DE
- Airport: New Castle
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.6787° N, 75.6066° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at NEW CASTLE (ILG), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.6787&lon=-75.6066&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9144P, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9144P) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-260 (registry code 7102406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-260) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-24-260B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,033 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210111000489I

## Narrative

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

01/11/2021 AT 0700 THE OPERATOR DEPARTED BRANDYWINE AIRPORT (OQN) ON A VFR FLIGHT. AFTER TAKEOFF WHEN OPERATOR ATTEMPTED TO RETRACT THE LANDING GEAR, IT DID NOT REACH THE FULL RETRACT POSITION AND THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED.

PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) LEVELED OFF AND CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR SEVERAL TIMES UNSUCCESSFULLY. PIC DISCONNECTED THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR AND TRIED THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH QUICK REFERENCE CARD COMANCHE 260 FI AND EMERGENCY EXTENSION COVER PLACARD. PIC WAS ABLE TO GET THE GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED, BUT IT WOULD NOT GO COMPLETELY DOWN AND LOCKED.

PIC CONFIRMED THE MOTOR WAS FULLY DISCONNECTED, BUT  THE GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND FULLY.

AN EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DIVERTED TO NEW CASTLE AIRPORT (ILG) FOR A LOW PASS NEAR THEIR TOWER. THE TOWER CONFIRMED THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT FULLY EXTENDED. PIC CHOSE TO LAND ON RUNWAY 27.

THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AND THE GEAR COLLAPSED IMMEDIATELY.

THE AIRCRAFT SKID DOWN THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO A STOP AT THE TAXIWAY NOVEMBER 1 INTERSECTION.

DAMAGE TO THE PROP, DUE TO PROP STRIKE. MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE EXHAUST, LOWER ENGINE COWLINGS AND BELLY OF AIRCRAFT DUE TO GEAR UP SLIDE.

AFTER RELOCATING THE AIRCRAFT, THE LANDING GEAR WAS INSPECTED WHILE ON JACKS, THE GEAR HAD TO BE FORCED IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION DUE TO THE BINDING IN THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR CABLE ASSEMBLY PUSH-PULL CONDUIT. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE BINDING IN THE CABLE ASSEMBLY  CAUSED THE MAIN GEAR BREAKER TO TRIP AND A BURNING SMELL FROM THE GEAR MOTOR. ALL OTHER COMPONENTS APPEAR TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION. THERE WILL BE FURTHER INVESTIGATION ONCE THE AIRCRAFT IS LOCATED IN A HANGAR FOR PROPER DISASSEMBLY AND TROUBLESHOOTING. THIS REPORT WILL BE AMENDED IF TROUBLESHOOTING REVEALS ADDITIONAL CAUSAL INFORMATION.

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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