# Incident 20241010015879I: Bellanca 17-30A, Buckeye, AZ, October 10, 2024

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 2024, 07:50 local time
- Place: Buckeye, AZ
- Airport: Buckeye Municipal Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.4225° N, 112.6862° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BUCKEYE MUNI (BXK), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4225&lon=-112.6862&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9606E, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9606E) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bellanca 17-30A (registry code 1220433, https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-17-30a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520-K (registry code 17238, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELLANCA 17-30A
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO-520-K
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,149 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20241010015879I

## Narrative

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

THE PILOTS SPENT ONE HOUR IN THE PATTERN AT KBXK ON OCTOBER 8, 2024.  THEY PRACTICED SEVEN TAKE OFFS, LANDINGS, AND TAXI-BACKS. THE LANDING GEAR WORKED PERFECTLY. ON OCTOBER 9, 2024 THE GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT. AFTER FULL STOP LANDING, THE HYDRAULIC OIL LEVEL WAS NOT VISIBLE ON THE DIPSTICK AND LATER THE RESERVOIR WAS FILLED. A CHECK FOR LEAKS REVEALED NO VISIBLE LEAKS. ON OCTOBER 10TH THE PLAN WAS TO PRACTICE SOME MORE MANEUVERS.  THE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT AFTER LEAVING THE PATTERN AND FLYING WITH THE GEAR SWITCH UP AND THE ACTUATOR PUMP RUNNING FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. THE GEAR EVENTUALLY RETRACTED. THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM ON THIS BELLANCA IS A SELF-BLEEDING SYSTEM. THE PILOTS STATED THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT TRAPPED AIR DUE TO THE HYDRAULIC FLUID REFILL HAD FINALLY BLED OUT AND THE SYSTEM WOULD OPERATE NORMALLY. UPON RETURNING TO THE DOWNWIND LEG OF THE PATTERN AT KBXK AND EXTENDING THE GEAR, THE PILOTS SAW GREEN LIGHTS FOR THE MAIN LANDING GEAR INDICATING THE GEAR WAS DOWN. THE LANDING GEAR ACTUATOR PUMP CONTINUED TO RUN POSSIBLY INDICATING THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED.  THE PILOTS LEFT THE PATTERN FOR SOME HIGH G MANEUVERS TO TRY AND SHAKE THE GEAR DOWN.  THEY RETURNED FOR A LOW PASS HOPING TO GET CONFIRMATION OF THE LANDING GEAR STATUS FROM ANYONE ON THE GROUND AT KBXK. THE PILOT OF A SKYDIVING AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND REPORTED THAT THEY HAD THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED.  THE PILOTS WENT AROUND AND ATTEMPTED TO LAND. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TOUCHED BRIEFLY BUT THE ENSUING PULL BACK ON THE YOKE TO HOLD THE NOSE LANDING GEAR UP CAUSED A VERY SLIGHT LIFT OFF. WHEN THIS HAPPENED, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING THE PLANE TO SETTLE ON THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR, NOSE LANDING GEAR, THE LEFT WING, TAIL SKID/TIE DOWN AND THE REAR UNDERBELLY.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED UP SO THE LADING GEAR COULD BE EXTRACTED AND THEN IT WAS PARKED ON THE RAMP.

## Other reports on N9606E (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19980128005049I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980128005049I), Jan 28, 1998: Blanca 1730A (N9606E), Ames, IA, Minor damage. Narrative: Mr. Johnson landed on runway 19 at Ames, Iowa. Wind was 250 degree at 7 knots. When nosewheel touched down, aircraft veered left off runway. No…

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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