FORT MYERS, FL, USA
N5238P
Piper PA-24
The airplane landed gear up and the pilot reported, 'I believe I saw a green light for the gear and continued the landing as per usual'. Replay of the tower tapes revealed that immediately after the gear up landing, N6238P transmitted, 'I just did a gear up'. Inspection of the landing gear extension/retraction system by an FAA certified mechanic revealed no abnormalities except a popped circuit breaker for the gear motor. The circuit breaker was reset and the system operated satisfactorily at the proper cycle speed for several cycles.
On June 11, 1999, about 0944 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24, N5238P, registered to a private individual, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, made a gear-up landing at Page Field, Fort Myers, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the private-rated pilot and one passenger were not injured. The flight originated from Punta Gorda, Florida about 19 minutes before the accident. The pilot stated that on final approach to runway 13 at Page Field, he selected the landing gear control to the down position and, "I believe I saw a green light for the gear and continued the landing as per usual". According to FAA personnel in the Fort Myers Control Tower, they, (at least three of us) can remember three or four times in the recent past that they had to remind the pilot of N5238P to extend his wheels for landing. According to the Fort Myers Control Tower Chief, a playback of the tower audio tapes of radio communications between tower personnel and N5238P revealed that sometime during or shortly after the accident, N5238P transmitted, "I just made a gear up". The aircraft was transported to a fixed-base operator on the field and examined by an FAA certified mechanic. After resetting a circuit breaker for the landing gear operating motor, the gear were cycled several times satisfactorily. It was unknown by the A&P mechanic how long the circuit breaker had been tripped. The landing gear system is equipped with a large emergency extension handle in the cockpit that can be used as a backup gear position indicator by observing its action. The landing gear down green light indicated normally and the handle followed the extension/retraction cycle normally.
The pilot's failure to verify that the retractable landing gear were down and locked for landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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