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|
Attributes | |
ACN | 355779 |
Time | |
Date | 199612 |
Day | Sun |
Local Time Of Day | 1201 To 1800 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | airport : hii |
State Reference | AZ |
Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 7500 |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | VMC |
Light | Daylight |
Aircraft 1 | |
Operator | general aviation : instructional |
Make Model Name | Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer |
Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
Flight Phase | cruise other landing other |
Flight Plan | VFR |
Person 1 | |
Affiliation | Other |
Function | flight crew : single pilot |
Qualification | pilot : private |
Experience | flight time last 90 days : 78 flight time total : 118 flight time type : 5 |
ASRS Report | 355779 |
Events | |
Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other |
Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa |
Resolutory Action | other |
Consequence | faa : investigated Other |
Supplementary | |
Primary Problem | Aircraft |
Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
Twenty to thirty mins after we took off in vgt the fuel indication of the right tank turned rapidly down to half of the indication. During my preflight check in vgt I noticed a fuel leak in the right tank. It was not really a leak, nothing was dropping out, but when I touched the bottom side of the wing, it was kind of wet and smelled like fuel. So my first thought was that I know I really have a bigger fuel leak in the right tank. I switched the fuel selector to the other tank. I knew that lake havasu was within 10-15 mins flying time. I decided to watch at the indication gauges a few mins to see what's happening. At first, everything seemed not so bad. The right indication stopped at one half the way and the left indication was totally normal. But suddenly, the left indication started also going down and the right one did the same. Now I decided to land in lake havasu. I just wanted to call for airport advisory, when the frequency indications of my radios turned off. Now I started to check everything I knew. The circuit breakers were all ok and also the ammeter showed no discharge. The interesting thing was, when I turned on the landing light, I had indications for a short while. But anyway, I switched to communication #2, which was an older regular one, without digital frequency indication. I tried several times to reach somebody in hii, without response. My magnetic course was about 180 degrees and I noticed a tailwind. So I made a 45 degree entry for the left downwind runway 32. I flew a regular pattern, till the point to lower the gear. I tried to lower it, but nothing happened. I flew one more pattern and tried to lower it several times. When I reached again the point of turning to base from downwind, I saw both fuel indications below 0. At this time I haven't thought about a manual gear extension. I knew that I had an electrical problem, but because of the small fuel leak I noticed in vgt, I wasn't sure if it is the only problem or not. I remembered the procedures for a gear up landing they taught me in school, and brought the airplane down. Nobody was injured and nothing besides the plane was damaged. I know my fault was that I have not tried to extend the gear manually earlier. Also, I haven't watched at the ammeter in the last few mins of our flight. But I'm sure in the future I'll exactly know what to do.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: A FOREIGN AIRLINE PLT STUDENT, PVT PLT RATED, ON A PLEASURE FLT IN AN SMA SEL COMPLEX ACFT, MADE A GEAR UP LNDG AFTER DIVERTING TO LAND DUE TO UNEXPECTED LOW FUEL INDICATIONS AND AN ELECTRICAL PROB. HE DID NOT TAKE TIME TO ATTEMPT LOWERING THE GEAR MANUALLY SINCE HE BELIEVED THAT THE ENG WAS GOING TO QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION AS THE FUEL GAUGES WERE REGISTERING '0.'
Narrative: TWENTY TO THIRTY MINS AFTER WE TOOK OFF IN VGT THE FUEL INDICATION OF THE R TANK TURNED RAPIDLY DOWN TO HALF OF THE INDICATION. DURING MY PREFLT CHK IN VGT I NOTICED A FUEL LEAK IN THE R TANK. IT WAS NOT REALLY A LEAK, NOTHING WAS DROPPING OUT, BUT WHEN I TOUCHED THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE WING, IT WAS KIND OF WET AND SMELLED LIKE FUEL. SO MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS THAT I KNOW I REALLY HAVE A BIGGER FUEL LEAK IN THE R TANK. I SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE OTHER TANK. I KNEW THAT LAKE HAVASU WAS WITHIN 10-15 MINS FLYING TIME. I DECIDED TO WATCH AT THE INDICATION GAUGES A FEW MINS TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING. AT FIRST, EVERYTHING SEEMED NOT SO BAD. THE R INDICATION STOPPED AT ONE HALF THE WAY AND THE L INDICATION WAS TOTALLY NORMAL. BUT SUDDENLY, THE L INDICATION STARTED ALSO GOING DOWN AND THE R ONE DID THE SAME. NOW I DECIDED TO LAND IN LAKE HAVASU. I JUST WANTED TO CALL FOR ARPT ADVISORY, WHEN THE FREQ INDICATIONS OF MY RADIOS TURNED OFF. NOW I STARTED TO CHK EVERYTHING I KNEW. THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE ALL OK AND ALSO THE AMMETER SHOWED NO DISCHARGE. THE INTERESTING THING WAS, WHEN I TURNED ON THE LNDG LIGHT, I HAD INDICATIONS FOR A SHORT WHILE. BUT ANYWAY, I SWITCHED TO COM #2, WHICH WAS AN OLDER REGULAR ONE, WITHOUT DIGITAL FREQ INDICATION. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO REACH SOMEBODY IN HII, WITHOUT RESPONSE. MY MAGNETIC COURSE WAS ABOUT 180 DEGS AND I NOTICED A TAILWIND. SO I MADE A 45 DEG ENTRY FOR THE L DOWNWIND RWY 32. I FLEW A REGULAR PATTERN, TILL THE POINT TO LOWER THE GEAR. I TRIED TO LOWER IT, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. I FLEW ONE MORE PATTERN AND TRIED TO LOWER IT SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN I REACHED AGAIN THE POINT OF TURNING TO BASE FROM DOWNWIND, I SAW BOTH FUEL INDICATIONS BELOW 0. AT THIS TIME I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT A MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION. I KNEW THAT I HAD AN ELECTRICAL PROB, BUT BECAUSE OF THE SMALL FUEL LEAK I NOTICED IN VGT, I WASN'T SURE IF IT IS THE ONLY PROB OR NOT. I REMEMBERED THE PROCS FOR A GEAR UP LNDG THEY TAUGHT ME IN SCHOOL, AND BROUGHT THE AIRPLANE DOWN. NOBODY WAS INJURED AND NOTHING BESIDES THE PLANE WAS DAMAGED. I KNOW MY FAULT WAS THAT I HAVE NOT TRIED TO EXTEND THE GEAR MANUALLY EARLIER. ALSO, I HAVEN'T WATCHED AT THE AMMETER IN THE LAST FEW MINS OF OUR FLT. BUT I'M SURE IN THE FUTURE I'LL EXACTLY KNOW WHAT TO DO.
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.