Accident Synopsis
On August 24, 2019, about 1315 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250 airplane, registration N6696P, sustained substantial damage during a landing at Wendover Airport (ENV), Wendover, Nevada. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. The airplane was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed South Valley Regional Airport (U42), Salt Lake City, Utah, at 1215, with a destination of ENV.
Pilot Actions
During the approach to ENV, the pilot lowered the landing gear and waited for the indicator light to illuminate. When it did not, he cycled the landing gear lever several times without success. The landing gear extension motor-raise motor release arm was released, and the landing gear extension handle was operated, but the gear did not extend. The pilot contacted the airport's UNICOM and declared an emergency. A helicopter pilot in the area visually inspected the airplane and reported the landing gear was about one-third extended. The pilot's wife also observed the gear using spot mirrors and confirmed that only the tires were visible. As a final attempt, the pilot performed heavy g-force maneuvers but could not extend the gear. He then decided to land on the dirt area adjacent to the runway. During landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower forward fuselage.
Postaccident Examination
The airplane, serial number 24-1821, was manufactured in 1960 and purchased by the pilot in 2015. It was a low-wing, four-seat aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear. The pilot reported 384 flight hours in the accident airplane. Maintenance records indicated a total time in service of 2,080.11 hours. On June 23, 2018, about 5.62 flight hours before the accident, an annual inspection included a landing gear swing and emergency extension test, with no anomalies noted.
The airplane was moved to a secure location for examination by an NTSB investigator. The landing gear system would not extend under normal operation. Further examination revealed the landing gear solenoid was inoperative. The emergency extension system was tested multiple times, including operation of the motor-raise motor release arm and emergency gear handle, and no anomalies were noted. Additional details are available in the Wreckage Examination Summary in the public docket for this accident.