History of Flight
On September 11, 2019, at about 1236 central daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200T airplane, registration N328RG, was substantially damaged during a wheels-up landing near Kingman, Kansas. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The pilot reported that he moved the landing gear selector handle to the down position while on the downwind leg for Runway 18 at Kingman Airport (9K8). He performed a before-landing check during the turn from base to final. As the airplane crossed the runway threshold at 50 ft, he reduced both throttles to idle, and the gear unsafe warning horn sounded. The pilot immediately added power for a go-around after noticing that the gear safe indicator lights were not illuminated. He then asked another pilot, who had just landed, to visually confirm the landing gear position. The pilot on the ground confirmed that all three landing gear were retracted.
The accident pilot left the traffic pattern, flew west of the airport, and climbed to 2,500 ft mean sea level to troubleshoot the landing gear malfunction. He verified that the navigation lights were off, as they can dim the gear indicator lights at night. He then noticed that the 25-ampere circuit breaker for the landing gear hydraulic motor was tripped. He reset the breaker and selected gear down, but the breaker tripped again. The pilot returned to the airport and again asked the ground pilot to confirm the gear position, which remained retracted.
The pilot consulted the pilot operating handbook (POH) for the emergency landing gear extension procedure. The emergency extension requires releasing hydraulic pressure, allowing the gear to drop by gravity, assisted by aerodynamic loads and spring force. A red emergency handle in the cockpit releases the pressure. The pilot reported that he was unable to extend the gear using this procedure, and the ground pilot again confirmed the gear were still retracted.
The accident pilot continued circling the airport while troubleshooting. He made multiple attempts to extend the gear by inducing g-loads, without success. On another pass over the runway, the ground pilot reconfirmed the gear were still retracted.
Growing concerned about minimum fuel, the accident pilot asked the ground pilot to call 911 and request emergency crews. He also radioed Wichita approach control, declared an emergency, and stated his intention to make a wheels-up landing at 9K8. He extended the wing flaps for the landing. As the airplane neared touchdown, a gust of wind caused it to balloon to about 10 ft above the runway, followed by a hard landing on the runway.
Post-Accident Examination
The airport manager reported that after the accident, the landing gear extended into a down-and-locked position when the airplane was hoisted off the runway surface using a crane and straps. The airplane was towed to the pilot's hangar for further examination and testing.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector, the lower fuselage structural longerons were substantially damaged during the wheels-up landing. The airplane was placed on jack stands to test the landing gear retraction/extension system. The 25-ampere landing gear motor circuit breaker was reset, and the landing gear retracted normally when the master power switch was turned on and the gear selector was moved to the up position. The gear then extended normally when the selector was moved to the down position. The gear was cycled two additional times without issues.
The landing gear was then retracted to test the emergency extension procedure. The gear immediately dropped into the down-and-locked position when the red emergency handle was pulled. A second test yielded the same result.
Inspection panels were removed from the nose section to inspect the hydraulic motor assembly. No hydraulic leaks were observed from the motor assembly or associated lines, and the hydraulic pump contained an adequate amount of fluid. The landing gear was cycled a final time using normal procedures with no issues observed.