20220424005799I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28R-201T · Ft Meade, MD · April 24, 2022

Date: April 24, 2022 · 14:18 local
Place: Ft Meade, MD
Airport: Ft Meade
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N47418
Reported as: Piper PA-28R-201T
Reported engine: Continental TSIO-360 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 11,200 total

N47418Registered now · Piper PA-28R-201TS/N 28R-7703374 · Built 1977 Airframe modelPiper PA-28R-201T Engine modelContinental TSIO-360 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.

Aviator performed preflight and runup with no discrepancies noted. Immediately after rotation smoke began to fill the cockpit. Aviator immediately climbed to pattern altitude and prepared for emergency landing. Due to volume of smoke the aviator reached for gear lever but could not see the down and locked lights. The fire, a result of birds nest in engine, burned through the wires for the gear so it did not extend. Aviator safely landed and egressed airplane. No injuries. Damage to airplane includes prop tips bent back approximately three inches, scraping on belly, scorching on cowling, burned wires and sensors near engine and gear system under the cowling.

As the FAA filed it

AVIATOR PERFORMED PREFLIGHT AND RUNUP WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER ROTATION SMOKE BEGAN TO FILL THE COCKPIT. AVIATOR IMMEDIATELY CLIMBED TO PATTERN ALTITUDE AND PREPARED FOR EMERGENCY LANDING. DUE TO VOLUME OF SMOKE THE AVIATOR REACHED FOR GEAR LEVER BUT COULD NOT SEE THE DOWN AND LOCKED LIGHTS. THE FIRE, A RESULT OF BIRDS NEST IN ENGINE, BURNED THROUGH THE WIRES FOR THE GEAR SO IT DID NOT EXTEND. AVIATOR SAFELY LANDED AND EGRESSED AIRPLANE. NO INJURIES. DAMAGE TO AIRPLANE INCLUDES PROP TIPS BENT BACK APPROXIMATELY THREE INCHES, SCRAPING ON BELLY, SCORCHING ON COWLING, BURNED WIRES AND SENSORS NEAR ENGINE AND GEAR SYSTEM UNDER THE COWLING.