Accident Sequence
The pilot of a single-engine aircraft reported that the landing gear down lights did not illuminate during approach. He initiated a go-around so that air traffic control tower personnel could visually confirm the gear position. Tower personnel reported that the gear appeared extended. On the crosswind leg, the aircraft descended and struck a fence. The pilot stated that the engine began sputtering when he started the climb. Witnesses, including another pilot in the traffic pattern, observed the aircraft in a nose-high attitude with oscillating wings before it entered a stall and descended behind nearby buildings. The pilot occupied the left seat during the flight.
Pilot Background
A Statement of Demonstrated Ability was issued on March 17, 1987, for a right arm amputation from the shoulder, based on a special medical flight test conducted in a non-complex Piper PA28-180. The FAA inspector who administered that flight test issued a student pilot certificate with several limitations, but those limitations were not transferred to the pilot's subsequent temporary and permanent pilot certificates, as required by FAA orders. The certified flight instructor (CFI) who flew with the pilot just before the accident flight noted that the pilot had significant difficulties controlling the aircraft, working the trim, adjusting power settings, operating the gear controls, communicating on the radio, and moving the flap control handle. For these operations, the pilot had to hold the yoke with his knees while reaching across his body. The CFI stated that the pilot required additional training and did not endorse him for high-performance aircraft. Prior to the 4.5-hour accident flight, the pilot had logged 3 hours in high-performance aircraft with a CFI. The pilot wore no prosthetic device during the accident flight. None of the passengers held pilot ratings.
Aircraft Examination
Post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed no evidence of failure or malfunction of the flight controls or engine. Fuel system continuity was confirmed. A measured 2.5 gallons of fuel were drained from the left wing tank and 1.5 gallons from the right wing tank; unusable fuel in each tank is 1 gallon, leaving 1.5 and 0.5 gallons usable, respectively. A screw attaching to the bus was found missing from the landing gear indicator circuit breaker. The landing gear system had been serviced by a maintenance facility just before the flight. Most of the aircraft's controls, both normal and emergency, are located on the pilot's right side.