OpenAirDocs.org

20230919021459I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Piper PA-30 · Arlington, TX · September 19, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
September 19, 2023 · 08:05 local
Place
Arlington, TX
Airport
Arlington Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8268Y
Reported as
Piper PA-30
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
950 total
N8268YRegistered now · Piper PA-30S/N 30-1397 · Built 1966Airframe modelPiper PA-30Engine modelLycoming IO-320 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.

Aircraft departed Arlington Municipal Airport (kgky) at approximately 0730 to complete airborne maneuvers during student flight. After returning to the airport, the aircraft entered the right downwind and set up for landing. During landing checks, the landing gear indicator light briefly illuminated and then extinguished. The flight instructor who was PIC elected to complete a low approach with tower to verify that the landing gear was extended. After the tower confirmed the landing gear was extended, the aircraft entered another traffic pattern. The PIC cycled the landing gear switch and heard the motor actuate however and the gear indicated down with three green indicators illuminated. On the turn to final, the light flickered momentairly and the PIC landed the aircraft. Upon landing, both main landing gear compressed however shortly before the nose gear touched, the left main landing gear collapsed followed by the right main landing gear. The aircraft slid off the right side of the runway and came to rest in the grass. All three landing gear were in the up position and there were several witness marks on the runway. Upon interviewing both pilots, it was acknowledged that landing checks were completed per the checklist. Both pilots stated that they did not use the emergency manual extension checklist for the aircraft due to the positive gear indicator lights and there was no reference to the emergency checklist other than the prelanding checks.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED ARLINGTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KGKY) AT APPROXIMATELY 0730 TO COMPLETE AIRBORNE MANEUVERS DURING STUDENT FLIGHT. AFTER RETURNING TO THE AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE RIGHT DOWNWIND AND SET UP FOR LANDING. DURING LANDING CHECKS, THE LANDING GEAR INDICATOR LIGHT BRIEFLY ILLUMINATED AND THEN EXTINGUISHED. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WHO WAS PIC ELECTED TO COMPLETE A LOW APPROACH WITH TOWER TO VERIFY THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED. AFTER THE TOWER CONFIRMED THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED, THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED ANOTHER TRAFFIC PATTERN. THE PIC CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH AND HEARD THE MOTOR ACTUATE HOWEVER AND THE GEAR INDICATED DOWN WITH THREE GREEN INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. ON THE TURN TO FINAL, THE LIGHT FLICKERED MOMENTAIRLY AND THE PIC LANDED THE AIRCRAFT. UPON LANDING, BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR COMPRESSED HOWEVER SHORTLY BEFORE THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED FOLLOWED BY THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT SLID OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST IN THE GRASS. ALL THREE LANDING GEAR WERE IN THE UP POSITION AND THERE WERE SEVERAL WITNESS MARKS ON THE RUNWAY. UPON INTERVIEWING BOTH PILOTS, IT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT LANDING CHECKS WERE COMPLETED PER THE CHECKLIST. BOTH PILOTS STATED THAT THEY DID NOT USE THE EMERGENCY MANUAL EXTENSION CHECKLIST FOR THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO THE POSITIVE GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS AND THERE WAS NO REFERENCE TO THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST OTHER THAN THE PRELANDING CHECKS.