At 15:55 PST, a Piper PA-32R-301T lost electrical power and made a precautionary landing at the Harris Ranch airport, where the gear collapsed and the left wing impacted a runway light. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was cruising on autopilot at 10,500 feet when it suddenly pitched up and the pilot disengaged the autopilot. Simultaneously he heard crackling over the speaker, which was not selected on the audio panel, and controllers lost his transponder reply. The pilot shut down all electrical items and decided to make a precautionary landing. He conducted the emergency landing gear extension checklist and noted that his airspeed and power was consistent with what he historically associated with the gear being in the down position. He said the touchdown was normal, but on the landing rollout the nose landing gear collapsed, then the left main gear collapsed and the airplane veered off the runway.
March 1, Coalonga, Calif. / Piper Saratoga
At 15:55 PST, a Piper PA-32R-301T lost electrical power and made a precautionary landing at the Harris Ranch airport, where the gear collapsed and the left wing impacted a runway light. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was cruising on autopilot at 10,500 feet when it suddenly pitched up and the pilot disengaged the autopilot. Simultaneously he heard crackling over the speaker, which was not selected on the audio panel, and controllers lost his transponder reply. The pilot shut down all electrical items and decided to make a precautionary landing. He conducted the emergency landing gear extension checklist and noted that his airspeed and power was consistent with what he historically a...
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-32R-301T lost all electrical power during cruise, causing the autopilot to disengage, crackling over the speaker, and a loss of transponder reply.
- The pilot initiated a precautionary landing at Harris Ranch airport, performing an emergency landing gear extension checklist.
- During the landing rollout, the nose and left main landing gear collapsed, leading to the left wing impacting a runway light, though the pilot was not injured.
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