20240107001789A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-44-180 · Fort Worth, TX · January 7, 2024

Date
January 7, 2024 · 05:05 local
Place
Fort Worth, TX
Airport
Fort Worth Alliance
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
Z8FS
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N816AT
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN24LA086
Reported as
Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-360-B1G6
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
1,081 total121 in this make and model185 in the last 90 days

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 was performing touch and go's at afw and on the 8th landing, the aircraft landed without the gear being extended. Both propellers contacted the runway initially and then the bottom of the fuselage contacted the runway. The aircraft slid approximately 400 feet and came to rest on the runway. The landing gear appeared to have been fully retracted at the time the aircraft touched down on the runway. Skids on the bottom of the fuselage and in board edges of left and right flaps were damaged from impact and rubbing on the runway surface. All blades on both propellers were curled at the tips indicating engines were operating at touch down. Further inspection of the landing gear revealed no anomalies with the extension or retraction operation. The gear warning systems and stall warning systems were checked and operated normal.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO'S AT AFW AND ON THE 8TH LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT THE GEAR BEING EXTENDED. BOTH PROPELLERS CONTACTED THE RUNWAY INITIALLY AND THEN THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SLID APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET AND CAME TO REST ON THE RUNWAY. THE LANDING GEAR APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN FULLY RETRACTED AT THE TIME THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RUNWAY. SKIDS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE AND IN BOARD EDGES OF LEFT AND RIGHT FLAPS WERE DAMAGED FROM IMPACT AND RUBBING ON THE RUNWAY SURFACE. ALL BLADES ON BOTH PROPELLERS WERE CURLED AT THE TIPS INDICATING ENGINES WERE OPERATING AT TOUCH DOWN. FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR REVEALED NO ANOMALIES WITH THE EXTENSION OR RETRACTION OPERATION. THE GEAR WARNING SYSTEMS AND STALL WARNING SYSTEMS WERE CHECKED AND OPERATED NORMAL.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.