# Incident 20040119018629I: Piper PA24250, Van Nuys, CA, January 19, 2004

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 19, 2004, 12:22 local time
- Place: Van Nuys, CA
- Airport: Van Nuys Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.2098° N, 118.4900° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at VAN NUYS (VNY), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2098&lon=-118.4900&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7988P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7988P-2010-01-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-250 (registry code 7102404, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24250
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,200 total, 70 in this make and model, 110 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040119018629I

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON 01/19/04 N7988P A PA-24-250 SUFFERED A LDG COLLAPSE AT VNY. INSPECTOR BELKNAP FROM THE VNY FSDO INSPECTED THE DAMAGED AIRCRAFT ON 01/20/04 WITH THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS: ALL LDG GEAR RETRACT RODS WERE STRAIGHT AND SHOWED NO SIGNS OF BENDING, ALL LDG GEAR DOORS WERE UNDAMAGED. LANDING GEAR TRANSMISSION WAS FOUND RIPPED OUT OF ITS ATTACH POINT. STATEMENTS FROM PIC IAN MARKS INDICATED THAT AFTER A NORMAL TOUCHDOWN WITH THE LDG DOWN LIGHT AND JOHNSON BAR FWD THERE WAS A LOUD "SNAP" THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY THE AIRCRAFT SETTLING TO THE RNWY TAIL FIRST. ANOTHER STATEMENT WAS WRITTEN BY ^PRIVACY DA^ THE GENTLEMAN THAT MR. MARKS WAS CHECKING OUT IN THE AIRCRAFT. THIS STATEMENT ESSENTIALLY IS THE SAME AS MR. MARKS, I.E. LOUD METALLIC SNAP FOLLOWED BY LDG COLLAPSE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT BENT AND APPEARED TO BE RIGGED CORRECTLY. BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE TO THE ATTACHMENT AREA OF THE LDG TRANSMISSION I WAS UNABLE TO CHECK THE LDG RIG WITH THE MOTOR IN THE SYSTEM. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE IN OR AROUND THE ATTACHMENT AREA THAT WAS TORN OUT. I COULD FIND NO EXPLANATION FOR THE LDG TRANSMISSION TO TEAR OUT OF IT'S ATTACHMENT. A STATEMENT WAS RECEIVED FROM ^PRIVACY DAT^ OF THE AIRCRAFTSMAN WHO IS THE GENTLEMAN CONTRACTED TO REPAIR N7988P. HIS STATEMENT EXPRESSES HIS OPINION THAT THE "LANDING GEAR SELECTOR WAS INADVERTENTLY MOVED FROM THE DOWN POSITION WHILE THE AIRCRAFT HAD ALREADY SETTLED ONTO THE BELLY, RESULTING IN THE TRANSMISSION TEARING ITSELF FROM ITS MOUNTING AND DESTROYING THE BULKHEAD." THIS OPINION IS BASED ON HISEXPERIENCE OF REPAIRING MANY PA-24 AIRCRAFT WITH THE SAME DAMAGE SIGNATURE. IN LIGHT OF ^PRIVACY DATA^ STATEMENT AND THE FACT THAT THE GEAR DOORS WERE UNDAMAGED AND THAT THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM APPEARED TO BE IN RIG, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON AUGUST 17, 2004 MR. MARKS WAS AGAIN ASKED FOR HIS VERSION OF THIS INCIDENT AND I EXPLAINED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS INCONSISTENT WITH HIS STATEMENT. HE WAS COUNSELED ON THE COMANCHE GEAR SYSTEM. INCIDENT CLOSED WITH NO CONCLUSIVE DETERMINATION AS TO THE CAUSE.

## Other reports on N7988P (1)

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

- [Accident 20080111009729A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080111009729A), Jan 11, 2008: Piper PA24250 (N7988P), Placerville, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot reported the right main landing gear collapsed after landing at pvf airport. The aircraft proceeded down runway 5 sliding on the right wing, veered…

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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