# Incident 19950404006639I: Piper PA60601, Louisville, KY, April 4, 1995

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 4, 1995, 18:25 local time
- Place: Louisville, KY
- Airport: Standiford Field
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: GXPA
- Location: 38.2542° N, 85.7594° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Louisville, KY, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2542&lon=-85.7594&mi=10
- Aircraft: N162GA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N162GA-2001-07-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Smith AEROSTAR 601 (registry code 8360606, https://openairdocs.org/model/smith-aerostar-601) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA60601
- Reported engine: LYC IO540S1A5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total, 130 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950404006639I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON 04-04-95, A PIPER PA-60 AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE UPON LANDING AT LOUISVILLE, KY (SDF). THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY GRAND AIRE EXPRESS INC. AND WAS ON A FAR PART 91 FLIGHT TO CLARKSVILLE, TN. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, A ROUTINE TAKEOFF WITH NORMAL GEAR RETRACTION WAS ACCOMPLISHED WHEN APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 7000 FT., HE NOTICED WHAT APPEARED TO BE OIL SPRAYING FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE. HE ELECTED TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AS A PRECAUTION AND RETURNED TO SDF. DURING LANDING, ALL CHECKLIST WERE COMPLETED FOR A SINGLE ENGINE LANDING AND THREE GREEN GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS WERE NOTED. ON TOUCHDOWN THE AIRPLANE WAS ON THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE, BACK PRESSURE WAS HELD IN AFTER THE MAIN GEAR TOUCHED DOWN, THE NOSE CAME DOWN AS NORMAL, AS THE WEIGHT SETTLED ON THE NOSE IT COLLAPSED. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RUNWAY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND THE DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE BOTTOM SKIN OF THE NOSE SECTION, THE LEFT PROPELLER BLADES AND ONE BLADE ON THE RIGHT PROPELLER. AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT A GREASE FITTING ON THE RIGHT PROPELLER HUB HAD FAILED AND CENTRIFUGAL FORCE HAD SPRAYED GREASE THROUGH THE PROP AND ON TO THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE. THERE WERE NO MALFUNCTIONS FOUND ON THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO FUNCTION NORMALLY DURING INITIAL TESTING AFTER THE INCIDENT. THE HYDRAULIC PUMP IS LOCATED ON THE RIGHT ENGINE ON THIS AIRCRAFT AND THERE IS NO AUXILIARY PUMP INSTALLED. FURTHER TESTING OF THE NOSE GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. A MALFUNCTION OR DEFECT REPORT HAS BEEN REQUESTED.

## Other reports on N162GA (2)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19960127000979A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960127000979A), Jan 27, 1996: Piper PA60601 (N162GA), Mountstorm, WV, Destroyed. Lost right engine en route. Settled into clouds. Iced up. Unable sustain alt. Impacted mountain. No engine defects.
- [Incident 19930428018919I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930428018919I), Apr 28, 1993: Piper PA60601 (N162GA), Cadiz, KY, Minor damage. Had three green lights on approach. Nose gear collapsed on landing rollout.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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