- Date
- January 2, 1993, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Crossville, TN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7712YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report October 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930102000139A
- Case key
- 8721
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to follow checklist procedures in that he did not utilize the alternate gear extension method when electrical power was lost. A factor was his failure to follow the checklist when he failed to turn on the generators prior to flight, which resulted in electrical failure.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
About 30 minutes into the local flight, the private pilot reported that total electrical power was lost. He could not lower the flaps, and when he lowered the gear handle, no greens lights illuminated. He elected to raise the gear handle and land. The aircraft was structurally damaged during the landing. When the aircraft was removed from the runway, an FBO employee lowered the gear handle, and the gear extended and locked. He then turned on the master switch, and observed 3 green gear down lights illuminated. The pilot reported that he did not attempt to use the manual alternate gear extension method. The pilot also reported that the loss of electrical power could have resulted from his failure to turn on the generators during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7712Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-801
- Airframe hours
- 2,765
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Upchurch, Cornell P.
- Registered owner
- Upchurch, Cornell P.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 30, 1992 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- CSV
- Destination
- CSV
- Airport
- CSV · Crossville Memorial, runway 8, 5,418 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 20 in this make and model · 2,900 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CSV, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7712Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.