PA24-G PLT HAS UNSTABILIZED APCH; NEGLECTS TO LOWER THE LNDG GEAR AND HAS PROP AND ANTENNA DAMAGE DURING GAR AT MKG.

Date: 2003-05 · Aircraft: PA-24 Comanche · Phase: landing

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|ground-event-encounter-gear-up-landing|inflight-event-encounter-unstabilized-approach

Synopsis

PA24-G PLT HAS UNSTABILIZED APCH; NEGLECTS TO LOWER THE LNDG GEAR AND HAS PROP AND ANTENNA DAMAGE DURING GAR AT MKG.

Narrative

1) I WAS IN MY PA24 IN CLOUDS AT 4000 FT MSL WHEN HANDED OFF FROM GRR APCH TO MKG APCH. BIV (MY DEST) ASOS WINDS WERE RPTED TO BE FROM 060 DEGS AT 6 KTS. I WAS ARRIVING FROM THE E AND AN ILS/DME RWY 26 APCH WAS REQUESTED AND APPROVED BY MKG APCH. THE REQUEST WAS MADE TO AVOID THE ADDITIONAL TIME IT WOULD TAKE TO MAKE A GPS RWY 8 APCH. A KING AIR AWAITING A RWY 8 TKOF WAS TOLD TO HOLD UNTIL I LANDED AND CLRED THE RWY. 2) THE GRR/MKG HDOF WAS GIVEN TOO LATE TO ALLOW A STABILIZED ILS APCH. I WAS STILL AT 4000 FT AND RELATIVELY CLOSE TO THE GRUMPS INTXN IAF. S-TURNS WERE NECESSITATED TO GET DOWN AND INTERCEPT THE GS AND I WAS VERY BUSY. I'D SWEAR I LOWERED THE GEAR IN PREPARATION FOR LNDG AND TO INCREASE THE DSCNT RATE -- BUT I DIDN'T. 3) ON ROUNDING OUT FOR LNDG I NOTICED EXCESS SPD OVER THE GND. THIS I BELIEVED WAS DUE TO THE 6 KT TAILWIND (IT WAS IN FACT ALSO DUE TO GND AFFECT AND THE FACT MY LNDG GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED). 4) THE KING AIR; BELIEVING I HAD TOUCHED DOWN BEGAN TO TAXI ONTO RWY 8 IN PREPARATION FOR TKOF. SEEING THIS AND THE FACT THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE LAST RWY TURNOFF BEFORE CONFRONTING THE KING AIR; I APPLIED PWR; CLBED OUT; ENTERED THE PATTERN FOR RWY 8 AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT (AFTER THE KING AIR TOOK OFF). AS I APPLIED PWR I HEARD A STRANGE NOISE AND NOTICED THAT MY LNDG GEAR WAS NOT DOWN. I EXPERIENCED NO UNUSUAL PERFORMANCE DEGRADATION OR VIBRATION DURING THE GAR. 5) AFTER LNDG; A PARKING ATTENDANT CAME TO AID WITH TYING MY ACFT DOWN. HE AND I THEN NOTICED CONSIDERABLE PROP DAMAGE (IT LOOKED LIKE A Q-TIP PROP; AND THERE WAS SOME UNDER BELLY ANTENNA DAMAGE). HE URGED ME TO HAVE A MECH ASSESS THE DAMAGE. BEING SOMEWHAT IN A STATE OF SHOCK AND KNOWING NO UNUSUAL PROBS HAD OCCURRED ON THE GAR; I DID NOT OPT FOR THAT CHOICE. A RETURN TO HOME BASE AT WHICH THERE WAS A PROP SHOP AND A MAINT SVC WITH WHICH I WAS FAMILIAR AND IN WHICH I HAD CONFIDENCE WAS PREFERRED. 6) I PROCEEDED TO CONDUCT THE ACTIVITY FOR WHICH THE FLT WAS MADE AND RETURNED TO BIV ABOUT XA00 PM FOR THE TRIP HOME; ONLY TO FIND AN FAA FORM 8620-1 (ACFT CONDITION NOTICE) ATTACHED TO MY AIRPLANE STATING THAT THE DAMAGED RADIO ANTENNA AND PROP BLADES WERE CONSIDERED TO BE AN IMMINENT HAZARD TO SAFETY. 7) I FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN FOR THE 1 HR FLT TO MY HOME BASE AT PTK AND PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ALL THE AVIONICS WORKED WELL AND NO UNUSUAL ENG VIBRATIONS WERE EXPERIENCED. MY FLT HOME WAS TIMELY AND UNEVENTFUL. (THE NEXT DAY; I CONTACTED MY MAINT SHOP AND ACFT INSURER.) I BELIEVE THIS WHOLE PROB COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED VIA AN EARLIER COMS HDOF FROM GRR TO MKG; THEREBY PERMITTING A ROUTINE; STABILIZED ILS RWY 26 APCH TO BIV.

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