# Incident 20230530006229I: Piper PA-28R-201, Fitchburg, MA, May 30, 2023

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 30, 2023, 11:30 local time
- Place: Fitchburg, MA
- Airport: Fitchburg Municipal
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.5538° N, 71.7592° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FITCHBURG MUNI (FIT), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5538&lon=-71.7592&mi=10
- Aircraft: N36802, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N36802) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28R-201 (registry code 7102816, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-201) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28R-201
- Reported engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 900 total, 40 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230530006229I

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 30, 2023,  A PA28R, WAS ENROUTE FROM KBED TO KFIT.  AIRMAN WAS OPERATING IN VFR CONDITIONS AS A SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT.  AIRMAN STATED THAT HE WAS COMING IN FOR A LANDING AND DID ONE LANDING AT KFIT RUNWAY 14, THEN WENT AROUND IN THE PATTERN TO RETURN FOR ANOTHER LANDING.  WHILE HE WAS COMING IN ON LEFT TRAFFIC, HE WAS DISTRACTED BY ANOTHER AIRCRAFT ON FREQUENCY THAT STATED THEY ENTERED DOWNWIND.  HE THEN BEGAN SEARCHING FOR THE AIRCRAFT AND FORGOT TO UTILIZE HIS CHECKLIST.  HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT PAY ATTENTION OR REALIZE THE SOUND OF THE HORN INDICATOR NOR DID HE NOTICE THE FLASHING RED LIGHT THAT STATES THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED.  HE STATED THAT THE NOISE ON THE RADIO FREQUENCY DISTRACTED HIM FROM HEARING THESE SOUNDS.

THE AIRMAN THEN SAID THAT HE NEARED THE RUNWAY AND FELT THE PROP STRIKE AND THEN THE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT GRIND INTO THE GROUND.  THE ENGINE CAME TO A STOP.  THE AIRMAN DENIED ANY INJURY OR ILLNESS.  NO PROPERTY OR OTHER PERSONS WERE DAMAGED OR INJURED.

AIRCRAFT LEFT MARKS DOWN THE RUNWAY 14 JUST ABEAM TAXIWAY C CONSISTENT WITH THE AIRMANS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT.  DAMAGE RAN OVER 300 FEET DOWN THE CENTERLINE WITH DEEP GOUGES.  DAMAGE ON THE AIRCRAFT WAS SIGNIFICANT PROPELLER DAMAGE CURLED BACK TOWARDS THE AIRCRAFT, BOTH FLAPS HAD UPWARD CURLED EDGES ON THE INBOARD SIDE, THE MOUNTING STEP WAS GROUND DOWN AND SUFFERED IMMENSE HEAT DAMAGE AND THE LOWER ANTENNAE WAS GROUND DOWN.  THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE A BREACH OF ANY FLUIDS OR FUEL TANKS.  VISUAL INSPECITON OF THE FUEL TANKS INDICATED LOW FUEL, WELL BELOW TABS BUT STILL VISIBLE (ABOUT 1/2").

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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