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20240629008359I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech D17S · Smiley Creek, ID · June 29, 2024

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 29, 2024 · 09:30 local
Place
Smiley Creek, ID
Airport
Smiley Creek
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1185V
Reported as
Beech D17S
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney R-985 series
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,260 total
N1185VRegistered now · Beech D17SS/N 6746 · Built 1944Airframe modelBeech D17SEngine modelPratt & Whitney R-985 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.

The pilot arrived at the Smiley Creek Airport at 0930 local time. Due to traffic on the runway he extended the downwind. During downwind he performed his before landing checklist and extended the landing gear. The pilot saw a green light on the panel indicating that landing gear was down and locked. The Beech staggerwing has windows in the floor of the aircraft that look into the main landing gear wells and the pilot saw light and the ground through the windows because the gear doors had opened. The pilot did not see the landing gear still in the landing gear wells. This is another indication to the pilot that the gear was down and locked. The pilot continued the landing approach and touched down with the gear only partially extended due to a faulty down limit switch. The aircraft contacted the ground on the partially extended landing gear. The aircraft slid to a stop and tipped forward causing the lower cowling and propeller to strike the ground. The aircraft was secured and the pilot and passengers disembarked the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT ARRIVED AT THE SMILEY CREEK AIRPORT AT 0930 LOCAL TIME. DUE TO TRAFFIC ON THE RUNWAY HE EXTENDED THE DOWNWIND. DURING DOWNWIND HE PERFORMED HIS BEFORE LANDING CHECKLIST AND EXTENDED THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT SAW A GREEN LIGHT ON THE PANEL INDICATING THAT LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE BEECH STAGGERWING HAS WINDOWS IN THE FLOOR OF THE AIRCRAFT THAT LOOK INTO THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WELLS AND THE PILOT SAW LIGHT AND THE GROUND THROUGH THE WINDOWS BECAUSE THE GEAR DOORS HAD OPENED. THE PILOT DID NOT SEE THE LANDING GEAR STILL IN THE LANDING GEAR WELLS. THIS IS ANOTHER INDICATION TO THE PILOT THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE PILOT CONTINUED THE LANDING APPROACH AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE GEAR ONLY PARTIALLY EXTENDED DUE TO A FAULTY DOWN LIMIT SWITCH. THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE GROUND ON THE PARTIALLY EXTENDED LANDING GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT SLID TO A STOP AND TIPPED FORWARD CAUSING THE LOWER COWLING AND PROPELLER TO STRIKE THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SECURED AND THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS DISEMBARKED THE AIRCRAFT.