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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

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NTSB Report

March 13, 2002 · Piper PA-31-350 · N3527U

Fairbanks, AK

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
March 13, 2002
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (9 uninjured)
Location
Fairbanks, AK
Aircraft
Piper PA-31-350
Tail Number
N3527U
Operator
Warbelow Air Ventures
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ANC02LA022

Upon entering the pattern, the pilot was given instructions by the tower controllers he had not anticipated. In complying with the instructions, he altered his normal landing procedures, and failed to complete his before landing checklist. He subsequently landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to fuselage stringers and skin.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to complete his prelanding checklist, and a subsequent inadvertent wheels up landing.

Full Narrative

On March 13, 2002, about 1553 Alaska standard time, a Piper PA-31-350 airplane, N3527U, sustained substantial damage during an inadvertent wheels-up landing, at the Fairbanks International Airport, Fairbanks, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by Warbelow Air Ventures, Inc., of Fairbanks, as Flight 605. The airline transport pilot and the eight passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the winds were light and variable at the time of the accident. A company VFR flight plan was active. The flight originated at the Fort Yukon Airport, Fort Yukon, Alaska, about 1503. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on March 14, the pilot said as he entered the pattern, he was told by the tower to cross over and enter right traffic for runway 1. The tower then told him he would have to extend downwind because of traffic. The pilot said he made a conscious decision not to put the landing gear down at the usual point because of the request to extend his pattern. He said as he started to extend his pattern, the tower asked him to expedite a base turn, and "keep it tight." The pilot said on the base leg, he again failed to complete his checklist. He said on the final leg of his approach, the airplane behind him said they were too close, and they were going to go around. In the confusion, he said he never completed his before landing checklist, and landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted. The pilot said that fatigue added to his confusion, which lead to the accident. During a telephone conversation with the IIC on March 14, the director of maintenance for the operator said the forward third of the longitudinal stringers and several bulkheads of the fuselage will have to be replaced, due to damage incurred during the accident. He noted that once the airplane was raised off of the runway, the landing gear functioned normally, and the three green landing gear warning lights illuminated. In a letter to the NTSB dated March 14, the pilot reiterated most of his earlier statements. He added that the landing gear warning horn did not activate because of the unusually high power setting used to, "keep it tight," as requested by the tower. He expounded on his earlier statement that fatigue added to his confusion, saying that he had not slept well the night before, and that annual training demands had added to his workload.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time10:53 AKST
Nearest AirportFairbanks International (0nm)
Runway01L
Runway Length11800 ft
Runway Width150 ft
Flight Plan FiledCvfr
Flight Plan ActivatedYes
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftPiper PA-31-350
Tail NumberN3527U
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorWarbelow Air Ventures
Operating RulePart 135
Engines2
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · TIO-540-J2BB · Reciprocating · 350
Seats9

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (9 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured9
Total9
Crew 1Age 52 · First Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind100°
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point21 C / -6 C
Altimeter30.12 inHg
Observation Time19:53
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data