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An small aircraft pilot had an alternator failure. Both main gear collapsed on landing.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 232223 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199301 |
| Day | Thu |
| Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : lou |
| State Reference | KY |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | IMC |
| Light | Dusk |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zma |
| Operator | general aviation : personal |
| Make Model Name | Small Aircraft, High Wing, 1 Eng, Retractable Gear |
| Flight Phase | landing other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | Other |
| Function | flight crew : single pilot |
| Qualification | pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : commercial |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 30 flight time total : 1200 flight time type : 200 |
| ASRS Report | 232223 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
| Air Traffic Incident | other |
Narrative:
On jan/thu/93, I departed bowman field at XA30 pm, to owensboro, ky, on an IFR flight plan operating under part 91. Climbing out, I raised the gear and then the flaps. Upon reaching 300 ft AGL, all lights went out. I immediately transmitted my intentions and made a left turn to stay in the traffic pattern. No acknowledgement of my xmissions were received. I turned off the master switch and checked all of the fuses, which were all in position, and reset the master switch. The radio led's were showing some light but no complete numbers. I put the gear position handle in the down position on downwind. I heard the gear motor, looked out my window and saw a wheel in the normal down position. I then lowered the flaps to 30 degrees. The flaps did extend. My back seat passenger then handed me a hand held radio on which I announced that I was going to land on runway 24. I did have partial electrical power as the electric motors for both the gear and the flaps did work. The warning light for the alternator was never on. At no time during the approach did the aural warning for the landing gear sound. The flaps were fully extended and I believed the landing gear to be down and locked. Touchdown seemed normal at first, then a side-to-side waddle type motion was encountered as the aircraft settled onto the runway. I then secured and exited the aircraft. The tower was contacted once we were clear of the aircraft via the hand held radio. Both main gear had folded under the fuselage, however, the nose gear was down and locked. The WX was IFR due to ceilings and there were aircraft on instrument approachs to bowman, I believed that I had the aircraft in a safe landing confign. Due to the WX conditions and to the fact that I was invisible to the other aircraft in the immediate vicinity, I believed I should get the aircraft on the ground as soon as possible rather than risking the lives of my passenger, the passenger in other aircraft in the area and people on the ground by spending more time diagnosing the problem in the air.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AN SMA PLT HAD AN ALTERNATOR FAILURE. BOTH MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED ON LNDG.
Narrative: ON JAN/THU/93, I DEPARTED BOWMAN FIELD AT XA30 PM, TO OWENSBORO, KY, ON AN IFR FLT PLAN OPERATING UNDER PART 91. CLBING OUT, I RAISED THE GEAR AND THEN THE FLAPS. UPON REACHING 300 FT AGL, ALL LIGHTS WENT OUT. I IMMEDIATELY XMITTED MY INTENTIONS AND MADE A L TURN TO STAY IN THE TFC PATTERN. NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF MY XMISSIONS WERE RECEIVED. I TURNED OFF THE MASTER SWITCH AND CHKED ALL OF THE FUSES, WHICH WERE ALL IN POS, AND RESET THE MASTER SWITCH. THE RADIO LED'S WERE SHOWING SOME LIGHT BUT NO COMPLETE NUMBERS. I PUT THE GEAR POS HANDLE IN THE DOWN POS ON DOWNWIND. I HEARD THE GEAR MOTOR, LOOKED OUT MY WINDOW AND SAW A WHEEL IN THE NORMAL DOWN POS. I THEN LOWERED THE FLAPS TO 30 DEGS. THE FLAPS DID EXTEND. MY BACK SEAT PAX THEN HANDED ME A HAND HELD RADIO ON WHICH I ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS GOING TO LAND ON RWY 24. I DID HAVE PARTIAL ELECTRICAL PWR AS THE ELECTRIC MOTORS FOR BOTH THE GEAR AND THE FLAPS DID WORK. THE WARNING LIGHT FOR THE ALTERNATOR WAS NEVER ON. AT NO TIME DURING THE APCH DID THE AURAL WARNING FOR THE LNDG GEAR SOUND. THE FLAPS WERE FULLY EXTENDED AND I BELIEVED THE LNDG GEAR TO BE DOWN AND LOCKED. TOUCHDOWN SEEMED NORMAL AT FIRST, THEN A SIDE-TO-SIDE WADDLE TYPE MOTION WAS ENCOUNTERED AS THE ACFT SETTLED ONTO THE RWY. I THEN SECURED AND EXITED THE ACFT. THE TWR WAS CONTACTED ONCE WE WERE CLR OF THE ACFT VIA THE HAND HELD RADIO. BOTH MAIN GEAR HAD FOLDED UNDER THE FUSELAGE, HOWEVER, THE NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. THE WX WAS IFR DUE TO CEILINGS AND THERE WERE ACFT ON INST APCHS TO BOWMAN, I BELIEVED THAT I HAD THE ACFT IN A SAFE LNDG CONFIGN. DUE TO THE WX CONDITIONS AND TO THE FACT THAT I WAS INVISIBLE TO THE OTHER ACFT IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY, I BELIEVED I SHOULD GET THE ACFT ON THE GND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE RATHER THAN RISKING THE LIVES OF MY PAX, THE PAX IN OTHER ACFT IN THE AREA AND PEOPLE ON THE GND BY SPENDING MORE TIME DIAGNOSING THE PROB IN THE AIR.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.