Incident Overview
On 26 September 2005, a Piper PA-34-220T Seneca V, registration CS-DID, departed Tires Aerodrome for Évora Aerodrome under visual flight rules with the pilot as the sole occupant. The pilot, aged 42, held a Private Pilot License with multi-engine and instrument ratings and had 737.40 hours total flight time, with 249.25 hours on type.
Flight History
During the flight, the pilot practiced coordination turns and stalls with gear extended near Montemor-o-Novo. Approaching Évora, he performed the normal landing checklist: selected 10° flaps, extended the landing gear, and verified three green lights indicating gear down and locked. When power was reduced, no gear warning horn sounded.
At 12:28 UTC, the aircraft touched down on runway 01, near the 1000-foot markers, first with the main wheels. As the nose wheel contacted the runway, the nose gear retracted without resistance, allowing the fuselage to settle onto the asphalt. The propellers struck the ground. Shortly after, the right main gear also retracted, causing the right wing to scrape the runway. The aircraft yawed 90° to the right, exited the runway, and came to rest with its tail on the landing strip.
Damage
The aircraft sustained visible damage to the right wing tip, nose gear doors, lower nose fairing, both propellers, and the nose gear door braces. The runway surface showed grooves from the propeller impacts.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-34-220T Seneca V, serial number 3449229, was manufactured in 2001. It was powered by two Teledyne Continental TSIO-360-RB1B engines and McCauley propellers. The retractable tricycle landing gear was hydraulically actuated by an electric reversible pump. Gear position was indicated by three green lights for down-and-locked and a red warning light for unsafe condition. A warning horn sounded if manifold pressure dropped below 14 inHg and the gear was not down and locked.
Pilot and Occupants
The pilot was the only person on board. He evacuated the aircraft without injury.
Outcome
The incident was reported by the aerodrome director to the GPIAA. No further analysis or cause is provided in the available report.