# Accident 20060320011719A: Piper PA23250, Morristown, NJ, March 20, 2006 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: March 20, 2006, 17:57 local time - Place: Morristown, NJ - Airport: Morristown Municipal Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135) - Operator: NAHA - Location: 40.7992° N, 74.4147° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7992&lon=-74.4147&mi=10 - Aircraft: N13878, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N13878-2018-01-11) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250 - Reported engine: LYC IO540C4B5 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 5,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 250 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC06CA080](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06CA080) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060320011719A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON THE FIRST LEG OF OPERATOR'S DAILY PNE-MMU-BUF CARGO RUN, SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED BY MMU TOWER FOR THE VISUAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 5. AFTER SELECTING GEAR DOWN PILOT STATED THAT HE DID NOT GET A RIGHT MAIN GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION (GREEN LIGHT). AIRCRAFT THEN CLIMBED BACK TO 2000 FEET AND PILOT CYCLED GEAR SEVERAL TIMES ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION, TO NO EFFECT. PILOT STATED HE SWAPPED LAMPS FROM THE ILLUMINATED NOSE AND LEFT MAIN INDICATORS TO THE RIGHT MAIN INDICATOR, AGAIN TO NO EFFECT. AIRCRAFT PERFORMED FLYBY OF MMU TOWER AND WAS TOLD ALL THREE LANDING GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN. PILOT STATED HE ELECTED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 31 BECAUSE THE WINDS FAVORED THAT RUNWAY AND HE DID NOT WANT TO BLOCK THE LONG RUNWAY (RUNWAY 5-23) IN THE EVENT OF A GEAR COLLAPSE. PILOT STATED THAT, DUE TO HIS CONCERNS ABOUT LANDING GEAR FAILURE, THE AIRCRAFT'S FULL FUEL STATE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT "CARTWHEELING" AND CATCHING FIRE, HE ELECTED TO SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGINES AND FEATHER BOTH PROPELLERS ON SHORT FINAL WHEN HE FELT HE HAD THE RUNWAY "MADE." PILOT STATED THAT HE MUST HAVE CAUGHT A "BAD GUST" WHICH CAUSED HIM TO LOSE ALTITUDE RAPIDLY. PILOT STATED THAT, WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE RUNWAY AND WAS HEADED FOR THE SLOPE OF THE HILL LEADING UP TO THE RUNWAY, HE ATTEMPTED TO RAISE THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE AND LAND FLAT ON THE SLOPE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED ON THE SLOPE PARALLEL WITH THE GROUND WITH LITTLE EVIDENCE OF FORWARD MOTION AND CAME TO REST 183 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 31. THE PILOT SUFFERED MINOR LACERATIONS AND CONTUSIONS AND SERIOUS BACK INJURIES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INTACT ALTHOUGH SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. BOTH WINGS AND THE BELLY SUFFERED IMPACT DAMAGE. ALL THREE LANDING GEAR WERE TORN FROM THEIR ATTACHMENTS, FAILED TO THE REAR AND REMAINED UNDER THE AIRCRAFT. DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS SUCH THAT A CONCLUSIVE DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER IT WAS LOCKED DOWN WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE. HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT IT FAILED TO THE REAR, INSTEAD OF FORWARD IN ITS NORMAL DIRECTION OF RETRACTION, SUGGESTS THAT IT WAS LOCKED. BOTH PROPELLERS WERE FEATHERED. THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS IN THE HORIZONTAL POSITION AND SUFFERED NO DAMAGE. THE RIGHT PROPELLER WAS IN THE VERTICAL POSITION WITH THE LOWER BLADE BURIED APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET INTO THE GROUND AND BENT. THE LEFT ENGINE STARTER WAS ENGAGED. THE PILOT STATED THAT, OTHER THAN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR INDICATION, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. A REVIEW OF THE AIRCRAFT RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED, INSPECTED AND CURRENT FOR PART 135 OPERATIONS. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC06CA080](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06CA080), Mar 20, 2006: Piper PA23-250 (N13878), Morristown, NJ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's premature shutdown of both engines, which resulted in a forced landing short of the runway. A factor was a landing gear malfunction indication for undetermined reasons. ## Other reports on N13878 (3) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20021025032439I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021025032439I), Oct 25, 2002: Piper PA23250 (N13878), Philadelphia, PA, Minor damage. (-23) Pilot stated - after landing while turning right off runway the right main landing gear retracted. Investigation revealed 2 of the 4 downlock springs… - [Incident 19890505044489I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890505044489I), May 5, 1989: Piper PA23250 (N13878), Boston, MA, Minor damage. Left engine propeller struck a parked aircraft while taxiing on the ramp. Minor damage to both aircraft. - [Incident 19780303015339I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19780303015339I), Mar 3, 1978: Piper PA23250 (N13878), Boston, MA, Minor damage. Pilot landed on snow covered runway. Visibility restricted due to blowing snow. Turned off into snowbank. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.