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20250130000909I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Murrieta, CA · January 30, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 30, 2025 · 11:45 local
Place
Murrieta, CA
Airport
French Valley Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
VMNA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N1872E
Reported as
Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
9
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
25,000 total5,900 in this make and model51 in the last 90 days
N1872ERegistered now · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-8052114 · Built 1980Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

On 30 jan., 2025, the flight began at knuc and terminated at F70. 8 passengers were aboard. VFR conditions at F70 were 3300 ovc-bkn, wind sw at 12 - 15 knots. The PIC crossed the airfield above the traffic pattern altitude and retarded the power to idle extending himself outbound at an approximate 40 degree angle away from the landing point on the runway. The PIC then put the aircraft into a steep bank to the left back toward the runway threshold while extending flaps and resetting power for the final descent, inscribing a teardrop shaped pattern to the landing point. The airman failed to extend the gear in the time available and did not have a stabilized final approach, but rather a steeper than normal descent associated with a wide sweeping turn to the touchdown (no downwind, base or final legs were flown (according to adsbexchange. Com flight tracking). The airman failed to extend the landing gear, making quite a hard landing, resulting in minor injuries to two passengers. The aircraft came to rest right-side up, several feet west of the centerline of runway 18, about 300 feet past the point of touchdown.

As the FAA filed it

ON 30 JAN., 2025, THE FLIGHT BEGAN AT KNUC AND TERMINATED AT F70. 8 PASSENGERS WERE ABOARD. VFR CONDITIONS AT F70 WERE 3300 OVC-BKN, WIND SW AT 12 - 15 KNOTS. THE PIC CROSSED THE AIRFIELD ABOVE THE TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE AND RETARDED THE POWER TO IDLE EXTENDING HIMSELF OUTBOUND AT AN APPROXIMATE 40 DEGREE ANGLE AWAY FROM THE LANDING POINT ON THE RUNWAY. THE PIC THEN PUT THE AIRCRAFT INTO A STEEP BANK TO THE LEFT BACK TOWARD THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD WHILE EXTENDING FLAPS AND RESETTING POWER FOR THE FINAL DESCENT, INSCRIBING A TEARDROP SHAPED PATTERN TO THE LANDING POINT. THE AIRMAN FAILED TO EXTEND THE GEAR IN THE TIME AVAILABLE AND DID NOT HAVE A STABILIZED FINAL APPROACH, BUT RATHER A STEEPER THAN NORMAL DESCENT ASSOCIATED WITH A WIDE SWEEPING TURN TO THE TOUCHDOWN (NO DOWNWIND, BASE OR FINAL LEGS WERE FLOWN (ACCORDING TO ADSBEXCHANGE.COM FLIGHT TRACKING). THE AIRMAN FAILED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR, MAKING QUITE A HARD LANDING, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES TO TWO PASSENGERS. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST RIGHT-SIDE UP, SEVERAL FEET WEST OF THE CENTERLINE OF RUNWAY 18, ABOUT 300 FEET PAST THE POINT OF TOUCHDOWN.