# Incident 20240215002429I: Piper PA-32-260, Louisville, KY, February 15, 2024

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 15, 2024, 17:20 local time
- Place: Louisville, KY
- Airport: Bowman Field
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.2280° N, 85.6637° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BOWMAN FLD (LOU), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2280&lon=-85.6637&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3438W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3438W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32-260 (registry code 7103206, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-260) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32-260
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,100 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240215002429I

## Narrative

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

ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S STATEMENT: PERFORMED NORMAL PREFLIGHT AT PDK. DURING PREFLIGHT THE PILOT CLOSED THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT DOOR, REMOVED THE KEY, AND VERIFIED IT WAS LOCKED AND SEALED.

DEPARTURE FROM PDK, FLIGHT TO LOU, AND APPROACH WERE STABLE AND UNEVENTFUL.

AFTER ENGINE SHUTDOWN, PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS INFORMED BY LINE CREW THAT THE LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT DOOR WAS MISSING. ALL ITEMS THAT HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE COMPARTMENT WERE STILL IN THE COMPARTMENT.

THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO AIRPORT PROPERTY AND NO POST-INCIDENT FIRE.

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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