# Incident 20241209017709I: New Piper Aircraft Inc PA-44-180, Melbourne, FL, December 9, 2024

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 9, 2024, 12:30 local time
- Place: Melbourne, FL
- Airport: Melbourne Orlando Internationa
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: ECQS
- Location: 28.1028° N, 80.6453° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MELBOURNE ORLANDO INTL (MLB), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.1028&lon=-80.6453&mi=10
- Aircraft: N885FT, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N885FT) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: New Piper PA-44-180 (registry code 7104403, https://openairdocs.org/model/new-piper-pa-44-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-360-A1D (registry code 41504, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-360-a1d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-44-180
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-360-A1D
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 2,205 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20241209017709I

## Narrative

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

ON DECEMBER 9, 2024 AT APPROXIMATELY 1130 EST, A 2006 PIPER PA-44-180 DEPARTED LAKELAND-LINDER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LAL) FOR MELBOURNE-ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MLB). THIS WAS A SOLO FLIGHT FOR FLIGHT SCHOOL BUSINESS/NON-INSTRUCTION. ON CLIMB-OUT FROM LAL AND SHORTLY AFTER RETRACTING THE LANDING GEAR, THE PILOT HEARD A POPPING SOUND AND NOTED THE LANDING GEAR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED A FEW MINUTES LATER. THE PILOT INITIATED TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES AND WAS UNABLE TO GET THE NOSE LANDING GEAR TO EXTEND. ATTEMPTS FOR EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE PILOT CONTACTED MLB TOWER AND ALERTED THEM OF THE GEAR ISSUE AND WAS CLEARED FOR A LOW PASS TO OBTAIN VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF THE LANDING GEAR POSITION. ATC CONFIRMED THAT THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WERE EXTENDED BUT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND WAS CLEARED FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON RUNWAY 9L. THE PILOT FEATHERED THE PROPELLERS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT ENGINE AND EXECUTED A SOFT-FIELD LANDING. AT APPROXIMATELY 1230 EST, THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH THE NOSE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED AND THE MAIN LANDING GEAR EXTENDED. THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED MINOR DAMAGE WITH BOTH PROPELLERS IMPACTING THE RUNWAY WHILE FEATHERED, NO DAMAGE TO AIRPORT PROPERTY WAS REPORTED, AND THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJURIES.

## Other reports on N885FT (1)

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

- [Incident 20180227003169I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180227003169I), Feb 27, 2018: New Piper Aircraft Inc PA-44-180 (N885FT), St Cloud, FL, Minor damage. The 141 flight school reported a "significant bird strike" on the upper nose cone during a dual cross country flight, and provided the following details: "IAS…

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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