- Date
- September 12, 2010, 12:04 local (18:04 UTC)
- Place
- Farmington, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N24WWPiper PA46-310P
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Albuquerque FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100912045299A
- Case key
- 77258
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 premature retraction of the landing gear and the flaps during landing. Contributing to the accident was the inadvertent dimming of the cockpit lighting, resulting in a perceived unsafe gear configuration.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was landing after completing a practice instrument landing system approach in bright day conditions. The pilot reported that he extended the landing gear and flaps when he was about three miles from the airport. The airplane crossed the threshold of the runway and was just about to touch down when the pilot noticed that the landing gear green indicator lights appeared not to be illuminated. The pilot applied full throttle and immediately raised the landing gear and flaps. During the go-around attempt the airplane settled and the propeller struck the runway. The pilot held full power and a nose-high attitude as the airspeed decreased. The airplane struck obstructions on the side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. It then came to rest upright approximately halfway down the length of the runway. An inspection of the aircraft systems by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the cockpit lighting dimmer switch, which controlled the illumination intensity of the landing gear lights, was set to the “Night Dim” position.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing at mid-day in bright sunny conditions after completing a practice instrument landing system (ILS) approach. The pilot reported that he extended the landing gear and flaps when he was about three miles from the airport. The airplane crossed the threshold of the runway and was just about to touchdown when he noticed that the landing gear green indicator lights appeared not to be illuminated. The pilot went to full throttle, and immediately raised the landing gear and flaps. During the go-around attempt the airplane settled and the propeller struck the runway. The pilot held full power and a nose high attitude as the airspeed decreased. The airplane struck obstructions on the side of the runway and came to rest upright approximately 3,000 feet down the 6,704 foot long runway. There was substantial damage to the left wing. The solo pilot was not injured. An inspection of the aircraft systems by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the cockpit lighting dimmer switch was set to the “Night Dim” position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N24WW
- Reported as
- Piper PA46-310P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46-8508071
- Airframe hours
- 4,713
- Engine
- Continental Motors TSIO 520 Seri, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Avionta LLC
- Registered owner
- Avionta LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 2010
- Departed
- 00C · Durango, CO
- Destination
- Farmington, NM
- Airport
- FMN · Four Corners Regional Airport, runway 25, 6,704 × 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 5, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,644 total · 1,060 in this make and model · 2,564 as pilot in command · 123 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- KFMN
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 4, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 424 KB in all.
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 N24WW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.