# Incident 20230630010399I: Maule M-7-420, Groton, CT, June 30, 2023

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 30, 2023, 07:43 local time
- Place: Groton, CT
- Airport: Groton-New London
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.3301° N, 72.0451° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GROTON-NEW LONDON (GON), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3301&lon=-72.0451&mi=10
- Aircraft: N450X, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N450X) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Maule M-7-420 (registry code 5470413, https://openairdocs.org/model/maule-m-7-420) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-B17 series (registry code 03017, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-b17-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MAULE M-7-420
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250-B17 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 6,000 total, 38 in this make and model, 55 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230630010399I

## Narrative

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

ON 6/30/2023 AT 0743 THE AMPHIBIOUS AIRCRAFT LANDED AT GON AIRPORT, CONTACTING THE SURFACE OF THE RUNWAY WITH THE AIRCRAFT FLOATS, CAUSING VISIBLE SCRATCHES TO THE RUNWAY SURFACE AND TO THE FLOATS OF THE AIRCRAFT (KEEL). NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE/INJURIES OBSERVED NOR REPORTED. DURING INTERVIEW WITH THE PILOT, THE PILOT STATED THEY HAD PICKED UP THE AIRCRAFT IN FLORIDA THE WEEK PRIOR, AND HAD BEEN ACTIVE IN PRACTICING WATER LANDINGS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK PRECEEDING THE INCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT PRIOR TO LANDING AT GON, THEY REHEARSED LOWERING THE GEAR BUT FORGOT TO LOWER IT WITHIN THE PATTERN - THEY COULD NOT RECALL IF THERE WAS A DISTRACTOR DURING THE PATTERN. THE PILOT DID RECALL CHECKING FOR "FOUR LIGHTS" ON FINAL (GEAR INDICATION), BUT BELIEVES THEY SAW INTERPRETED THE 4 RED LIGHTS AS THE DOWN LIGHTS. THE PILOT STATED IT WAS A POSSIBILITY THEY HAD GOTTEN USED TO SEEING THE 4 RED LIGHTS INSTEAD OF 4 GREEN DUE TO THE NUMBER OF WATER LANDINGS CONDUCTED PRIOR. THE PILOT STATED THEY LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AT THE MIRRORS AND BELIEVES THEY SAW THE GEAR DOWN, BUT FURTHER STATED THAT THEY MUST HAVE BEEN TREE SHADOWS AND THAT THE CONTRAST DUE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE DIFFICULTY DISCERNING VISUALLY IF THE GEAR WERE INDEED DOWN. THE PILOT STATED THE GEAR WARNING ALERT, WHICH NORMALLY BUZZES AS THE AIRCRAFT SLOWS BELOW 80MPH, WAS NOT AUDIBLE AND APPEARS TO BE INOPERATIVE. THE PILOT STATED THE SYSTEM WAS WORKING CONSISTENTLY THE WEEK PRIOR. PILOT CONFIRMED THAT AFTER LANDING THE GEAR HANDLE WAS STILL UP. PILOT STATED THERE WERE NO FATIGUE ISSUES AND WAS WELL RESTED. PILOT WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT.

AIRPORT OPERATIONS PERSONNEL INTERVIEWED STATED THE AIRCRAFT LANDED, DRAGGED AOUT 2600' ON THE RUNWAY, THEN TAXIED ON ITS FLOATS OFF THE RUNWAY AND SHUTDOWN ON THE RAMP.

AIRCRAFT WILL BE BROUGHT TO PILOT'S MECHANIC FOR REPAIRS AND REPORT PROVIDED TO INSPECTOR ON ANY SUBSEQUENT FINDINGS.

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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