# NTSB CHI02IA110: Piper PA-34-220T, N92721, Sturgis, MI, April 20, 2002 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: April 20, 2002, 15:45 local (19:45 UTC) - Place: Sturgis, MI - Coordinates: 41.800838, -85.419189 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.8008&lon=-85.4192&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 1, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - South Bend FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 54585 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI02IA110 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54585/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54585 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI02IA110 ## Probable cause The flightcrew not following the landing checklist, the flightcrew not lowering the landing gear, and the flight examiner's inadequate supervision of the flight. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Wheels up landing, landing - checklist - not followed, flightcrew (cause) - gear extension - not performed, flightcrew (cause) - supervision - inadequate, designated examiner (cause) ## Analysis During a Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) commercial pilot checkride the airplane was landed with the landing gear in the fully retracted position. The student pilot reported that she verbally completed the landing checklist and, "... failed to see that there were not 3 green lights." The JAA flight examiner stated, "I did not check the 3 green lights myself." The airplane was hoisted off the ground and when the landing gear selector handle was placed in the gear-down position the landing gear extended without any anomalies. No anomalies were found with the landing gear system that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. ## Factual narrative On April 20, 2002, at 1545 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-220T, N92721, piloted by a student pilot, was damaged during a wheels-up landing on runway 36 (5,700 feet by 75 feet, dry/asphalt) at the Kirsch Municipal Airport, Sturgis, Michigan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the incident. The instructional flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight examiner and student pilot did not report any injuries. The flight departed the W.K. Kellogg Airport, Battle Creek, Michigan, at 1450. The purpose of the flight was to complete a Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) skill test for the issuance of JAA commercial pilot license. The flying-pilot was a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificated student pilot. The pilot-in-command for the skill test was a JAA flight examiner who held a FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. The JAA is an associated body of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) representing the civil aviation regulatory authorities of a number of European States who have agreed to co-operate in developing and implementing common safety regulatory standards and procedures. According to a written statement provided by the flight examiner, while on final approach the student pilot verbally completed the landing checklist including verifying that the mixture controls were full rich, the propeller controls were full forward, and the landing gear position lights were green. The flight examiner stated that, "I did not check the 3 green lights myself." The flight examiner reported that during the flare the airplane floated longer than normal and then settled onto the runway. According to a written statement provided by the student pilot, she verbally completed the landing checklist and, "... failed to see that there were not 3 green lights." The student pilot stated that during landing she heard the tail scraping and saw one of the propellers impact the runway. The airplane was hoisted off the ground and when the landing gear selector handle was placed in the gear-down position the landing gear extended without any anomalies. No anomalies were found with the landing gear system that could be associated with a pre-impact condition. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N92721](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N92721-2011-05-31), registration cancelled 2011-05-31, S/N 3447019, built 1996 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-34-220T - Registry model: [Piper PA-34-220T](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-220t) (registry code 7103420) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (registry code 17019, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 3447019 - Airframe hours: 2608 - Engines: Continental LTSIO-360KB14 220 horsepower reciprocating; Continental TSIO-360-KB32 220 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Minor damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: Western Michigan University - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, April 17, 2002, 7.2 hours before - Departed: BTL, Battle Creek, MI - Destination: IRS, Sturgis, MI - Airport: IRS, Kirsch Municipal Airport, runway 36, 5,700 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Flight instructor; age 58; injuries: none; foreign, commercial, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review October 24, 2001; seat: right; flight hours: 7,062 total, 1,130 in this make and model, 6,240 as pilot in command, 58 in the last 90 days, 28 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours - Student pilot; age 24; injuries: none; student; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: right; flight hours: 153 total, 18 in this make and model, 39 as pilot in command, 38 in the last 90 days, 13 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 20° at 9 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 10,000 ft broken - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 32 °F - Altimeter: 30.07 inHg - Observed at: AZO, 26 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Incident 20020420011669I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020420011669I), Apr 20, 2002: Piper PA34220T, Sturgis, MI, Minor damage. (-23) Aircraft departed VFR from battle creek, Michigan (btl). Pilot requested flight following to hamilton, Indiana, then to Sturgis, Michigan (irs). A/c was… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 13, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54585. 356 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 356 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40432516&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.