OpenAirDocs.org

20210127001889I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-325 · Palm Beach, FL · January 27, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
January 27, 2021 · 19:38 local
Place
Palm Beach, FL
Airport
Palm Beach International
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N59948
Reported as
Piper PA-31-325
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
2,615 total
N59948Registration cancelled Jul 18, 2023 · Piper PA-31-325S/N 31-7512024 · Built 1975Airframe modelPiper PA-31-325Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

Aircraft departed F45 at 2000 local on 1/27/2021 and had red landing gear unsafe light on retraction. Several attempts were made to extend and retract gear using both the normal system and also by using the emergency landing gear extension hand hydraulic pump, but unsafe light remained illuminated.

The pilot declared an emergency and diverted to pbi. Pbi tower noted the nose and left main gear were not extended. Aircraft flew a pattern to reduce fuel and then landed at 2138 local on runway 28R. The right main gear collapsed on landing.

There were no fuel, oil or hydraulic spills noted on the airframe.

There was no fire, and no injuries to the pilot or three passengers. Both propellers had tips curled backwards. There was no damage to the wings or tail.

The aircraft was lifted and placed on a wheeled platform to clear the active runway.

On 2/3/2021 at 0800 local the aircraft was lifted from the wheeled platform. The landing gear legs were intact and mechanically locked in the down position. The damage to the central belly area was mostly to antennae and drain tubes. There was no engine firewall damage. The overall damage assessed to be minor and the event is classified as an incident.

The hydraulic reservoir sight glass showed no signs of fluid within. The sight glass was removed by maintenance personnel and there was no fluid flowing out of the open orifice. There were no signs of fluid leaks or spills adjacent to the hydraulic tank or on visible areas of the airframe.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED F45 AT 2000 LOCAL ON 1/27/2021 AND HAD RED LANDING GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT ON RETRACTION. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO EXTEND AND RETRACT GEAR USING BOTH THE NORMAL SYSTEM AND ALSO BY USING THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR EXTENSION HAND HYDRAULIC PUMP, BUT UNSAFE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED.

THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND DIVERTED TO PBI. PBI TOWER NOTED THE NOSE AND LEFT MAIN GEAR WERE NOT EXTENDED. AIRCRAFT FLEW A PATTERN TO REDUCE FUEL AND THEN LANDED AT 2138 LOCAL ON RUNWAY 28R. THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING.

THERE WERE NO FUEL, OIL OR HYDRAULIC SPILLS NOTED ON THE AIRFRAME.

THERE WAS NO FIRE, AND NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT OR THREE PASSENGERS. BOTH PROPELLERS HAD TIPS CURLED BACKWARDS. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE WINGS OR TAIL.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED AND PLACED ON A WHEELED PLATFORM TO CLEAR THE ACTIVE RUNWAY.

ON 2/3/2021 AT 0800 LOCAL THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED FROM THE WHEELED PLATFORM. THE LANDING GEAR LEGS WERE INTACT AND MECHANICALLY LOCKED IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE DAMAGE TO THE CENTRAL BELLY AREA WAS MOSTLY TO ANTENNAE AND DRAIN TUBES. THERE WAS NO ENGINE FIREWALL DAMAGE. THE OVERALL DAMAGE ASSESSED TO BE MINOR AND THE EVENT IS CLASSIFIED AS AN INCIDENT.

THE HYDRAULIC RESERVOIR SIGHT GLASS SHOWED NO SIGNS OF FLUID WITHIN. THE SIGHT GLASS WAS REMOVED BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL AND THERE WAS NO FLUID FLOWING OUT OF THE OPEN ORIFICE. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF FLUID LEAKS OR SPILLS ADJACENT TO THE HYDRAULIC TANK OR ON VISIBLE AREAS OF THE AIRFRAME.