SMA ACFT LANDED GEAR UP. DURING FAA FOLLOW UP THEY FOUND ACFT DISCREPANCIES.

Date: 1997-01 · Aircraft: Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

SMA ACFT LANDED GEAR UP. DURING FAA FOLLOW UP THEY FOUND ACFT DISCREPANCIES.

Narrative

RETURNING FROM EQY TO BKW; SAT NIGHT; VFR. INST LIGHTS FAILED; SO USED FLASHLIGHT. RED GEAR UP LIGHT VERY BRIGHT IN MY EYES; WITHOUT INST LIGHTS; SO I TURNED IT OFF. (FIRST IN SERIES OF MISTAKES.) APCHING BKW TUNED RADIO TO UNICOM; 123.0 (SO I THOUGHT; BUT ERRED HERE TOO); TRIED TO CALL; AND TURN ON RWY LIGHTS; BUT DID NOT WORK. TRIED SPARE MIKE; STILL NO SUCCESS. HAD LNDG GEAR DOWN; CIRCLING THE ARPT; HOPING SOMEONE WOULD HEAR AND TURN ON THE LIGHTS SO I COULD LAND. AFTER SEVERAL PASSES; I GAVE UP AND DECIDED TO GO TO BLF; 30 MI S; SO I RAISED THE LNDG GEAR. (THIRD MISTAKE.) I THEN LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND THE RWY LIGHTS HAD COME ON. SO; I TURNED INTO THE PATTERN; AND PREPARED TO LAND; THINKING THE GEAR WAS DOWN. I MADE A PERFECT LNDG; EXCEPT WITHOUT WHEELS. MONDAY 2 MEN FROM FAA CAME AND WENT OVER THE PLANE AND LOGS WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB. THEY FOUND THE ADF AND LORAN REMOVED FOR REPAIRS; WITHOUT A LOGBOOK ENTRY; AND THE ELT HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AND RECORDED. I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE RULE TO RECORD A RADIO REMOVAL; AND I THOUGHT IT WAS THE MECH'S JOB TO CARE FOR THE ELT AT THE ANNUAL INSPECTION. WE HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED THE ACFT; AND IT HAD A VERY EXTENSIVE; AND EXPENSIVE ANNUAL INSPECTION JUST PREVIOUS TO OUR PURCHASE. I HAVE OWNED AIRPLANES AND BEEN FLYING FOR 30 YRS; AND THE MECH ALWAYS CHKED AND CARED FOR THE ELT; SINCE THEY WERE INVENTED. THE PLT IS NOT ALLOWED TO DO IT! I HAD JUST PURCHASED A COPY OF THE NEW 1997 FAR'S AND HAD THEM IN THE HANGAR WHEN THE FAA MEN WERE THERE. WE LOOKED UP THE RULES; AND IT WOULD TAKE A PHILADELPHIA LAWYER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY ARE SAYING. A WEST VIRGINIA LAWYER COULD NOT DO IT; LET ALONE A PLT. MAINT RULES; SUCH AS ELT; XPONDER AND STATIC SYS CHKS; SHOULD BE PART OF THE ANNUAL INSPECTION BY A LICENSED A&P MECH; NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PLT; WHO IS NOT PERMITTED TO DO THE WORK ANYWAY. MORE EDUCATION IS NEEDED ON THE PART OF THE FAA; TO PROMOTE SAFETY; INSTEAD OF PURSUING SANCTIONS AGAINST PLTS. ALSO; THEY ARE NOT CONSISTENT. 3 YRS AGO; A PART 135 OPERATOR AT BKW LANDED HIS TWIN ENGINED PLANE GEAR UP; DOING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE CTL SURFACES; AND THE FAA DID NOT EVEN COME AND LOOK AT HIS AIRPLANE OR LOGBOOKS. HE TALKED TO THEM ON THE TELEPHONE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.