20210329003429I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-32R-301 · Churchville, MD · March 29, 2021

Date: March 29, 2021 · 14:45 local
Place: Churchville, MD
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4152R
Reported as: Piper PA-32R-301
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 820 total1,388 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N4152RRegistered now · Piper PA-32R-301S/N 3246179 · Built 2000 Airframe modelPiper PA-32R-301 Engine modelLycoming IO-540 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.

The pilot stated that in approach phase of flight to 0W3 in VMC the aircraft experienced total electrical system failure. He then entered the pattern at 0W3 without confirmation that gear was down and locked due to loss of indicator lights and radio communication. The pilot then executed emergency deployment of gear. The pilot bounced the nose several times to try to lock nose gear as per POH emergency procedure guidance. Executed visual final approach and touched down on main gear on runway 01 center-line. During rollout the nose wheel collapsed resulting in a propeller strike. The pilot maintained aircraft on the runway until stopped then shut down all systems and exited the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT STATED THAT IN APPROACH PHASE OF FLIGHT TO 0W3 IN VMC THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED TOTAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE. HE THEN ENTERED THE PATTERN AT 0W3 WITHOUT CONFIRMATION THAT GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED DUE TO LOSS OF INDICATOR LIGHTS AND RADIO COMMUNICATION. THE PILOT THEN EXECUTED EMERGENCY DEPLOYMENT OF GEAR. THE PILOT BOUNCED THE NOSE SEVERAL TIMES TO TRY TO LOCK NOSE GEAR AS PER POH EMERGENCY PROCEDURE GUIDANCE. EXECUTED VISUAL FINAL APPROACH AND TOUCHED DOWN ON MAIN GEAR ON RUNWAY 01 CENTER-LINE. DURING ROLLOUT THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED RESULTING IN A PROPELLER STRIKE. THE PILOT MAINTAINED AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY UNTIL STOPPED THEN SHUT DOWN ALL SYSTEMS AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT.