20240228002599I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 340A · Fort Myers, FL · February 28, 2024

Date
February 28, 2024 · 12:03 local
Place
Fort Myers, FL
Airport
Page Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N56ME
Reported as
Cessna 340A
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
3,598 total

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.

PIC departed from home airport of kmth. Flew to kmky to fuel up. Normal, stable landing and a soft touch down at kmky and three green lights on rollout and subsequent takeoff. The winds were virtually down the runway 17 at kmky. Pilot received IFR clearance on the ground at kmky and took off. Pilot stated all was fine until he selected gear down for landing at kfmy. PIC didn’t receive a right main gear indication that it was down and locked. Pilot raised the gear and again selected down. No change. Pilot then reported the situation to the tower. Tower asked a nearby airplane to see if the landing gear was fully down, a pilot reported it was. A helicopter to the right confirmed that the three wheels were down as well. As the PIC approached the field the tower verified that all three wheels were down. Pilot was then cleared to land. As PIC set the approach power, flaps, and flew the VASI as 105 knots. The pilot stated that he touched down gently just past the aiming point and rolled out at idle power. Pilot held the nose wheel off and had full left aileron for the crosswind and a potential right gear issue. The nose wheel finally touched down and aircraft rolled for another 100 feet or so, when the airplane began tipping to the right and turning right. Pilot stated that he heard thumping as the right propeller blades struck the runway. He stated that he didn’t have much steering command at that point and tried his best to avoid striking runway lights and signs. The plane turned more sharply as the right-wing flap plowed the grass off the runway and then came to rest. The pilot then announced to his privacy data omitted who was in the back seat to open the door and get out.

As the FAA filed it

PIC DEPARTED FROM HOME AIRPORT OF KMTH. FLEW TO KMKY TO FUEL UP. NORMAL, STABLE LANDING AND A SOFT TOUCH DOWN AT KMKY AND THREE GREEN LIGHTS ON ROLLOUT AND SUBSEQUENT TAKEOFF. THE WINDS WERE VIRTUALLY DOWN THE RUNWAY 17 AT KMKY. PILOT RECEIVED IFR CLEARANCE ON THE GROUND AT KMKY AND TOOK OFF. PILOT STATED ALL WAS FINE UNTIL HE SELECTED GEAR DOWN FOR LANDING AT KFMY. PIC DIDN’T RECEIVE A RIGHT MAIN GEAR INDICATION THAT IT WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. PILOT RAISED THE GEAR AND AGAIN SELECTED DOWN. NO CHANGE. PILOT THEN REPORTED THE SITUATION TO THE TOWER. TOWER ASKED A NEARBY AIRPLANE TO SEE IF THE LANDING GEAR WAS FULLY DOWN, A PILOT REPORTED IT WAS. A HELICOPTER TO THE RIGHT CONFIRMED THAT THE THREE WHEELS WERE DOWN AS WELL. AS THE PIC APPROACHED THE FIELD THE TOWER VERIFIED THAT ALL THREE WHEELS WERE DOWN. PILOT WAS THEN CLEARED TO LAND. AS PIC SET THE APPROACH POWER, FLAPS, AND FLEW THE VASI AS 105 KNOTS. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE TOUCHED DOWN GENTLY JUST PAST THE AIMING POINT AND ROLLED OUT AT IDLE POWER. PILOT HELD THE NOSE WHEEL OFF AND HAD FULL LEFT AILERON FOR THE CROSSWIND AND A POTENTIAL RIGHT GEAR ISSUE. THE NOSE WHEEL FINALLY TOUCHED DOWN AND AIRCRAFT ROLLED FOR ANOTHER 100 FEET OR SO, WHEN THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TIPPING TO THE RIGHT AND TURNING RIGHT. PILOT STATED THAT HE HEARD THUMPING AS THE RIGHT PROPELLER BLADES STRUCK THE RUNWAY. HE STATED THAT HE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH STEERING COMMAND AT THAT POINT AND TRIED HIS BEST TO AVOID STRIKING RUNWAY LIGHTS AND SIGNS. THE PLANE TURNED MORE SHARPLY AS THE RIGHT-WING FLAP PLOWED THE GRASS OFF THE RUNWAY AND THEN CAME TO REST. THE PILOT THEN ANNOUNCED TO HIS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO WAS IN THE BACK SEAT TO OPEN THE DOOR AND GET OUT.