20240222002419I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-34-220T · Duluth, MN · February 22, 2024

Date: February 22, 2024 · 14:53 local
Place: Duluth, MN
Airport: Duluth International
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N8439A
Reported as: Piper PA-34-220T
Reported engine: Continental TSIO-360 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 8,100 total

N8439ARegistered now · Piper PA-34-220TS/N 34-8133239 · Built 1981 Airframe modelPiper PA-34-220T Engine modelContinental TSIO-360 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.

After an uneventful flight the PIC selected gear down about 5 miles from the destination airport. The 2 main gear position indicators turned green, the nose gear did not. The PIC declared an emergence and flew around for about an hour troubleshooting the landing gear issue and attempted an emergency gear extension but was unable to obtain a green down lock indication for the nose landing gear. At that point the decision was made to a larger airport with better emergency services. The PIC flew past the control tower and they were able to confirm that the nose gear was not extended. The PIC performed an emergency landing and slid to a stop with the nose of the aircraft on the ground. Damage to the aircraft included propeller strikes and minor damage to the nose landing gear doors and nose of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL FLIGHT THE PIC SELECTED GEAR DOWN ABOUT 5 MILES FROM THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. THE 2 MAIN GEAR POSITION INDICATORS TURNED GREEN, THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT. THE PIC DECLARED AN EMERGENCE AND FLEW AROUND FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TROUBLESHOOTING THE LANDING GEAR ISSUE AND ATTEMPTED AN EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION BUT WAS UNABLE TO OBTAIN A GREEN DOWN LOCK INDICATION FOR THE NOSE LANDING GEAR. AT THAT POINT THE DECISION WAS MADE TO A LARGER AIRPORT WITH BETTER EMERGENCY SERVICES. THE PIC FLEW PAST THE CONTROL TOWER AND THEY WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED. THE PIC PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LANDING AND SLID TO A STOP WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT INCLUDED PROPELLER STRIKES AND MINOR DAMAGE TO THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DOORS AND NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT.