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20090412006779A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-31-325 · Orlando, FL · April 12, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information PortalNTSB investigation search

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Date
April 12, 2009 · 13:45 local
Place
Orlando, FL
Airport
Executive
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N71MJ
Reported as
Piper PA31325
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
6,100 total360 in this make and model14 in the last 90 days
N71MJRegistration cancelled Aug 23, 2019 · Piper PA-31-325S/N 31-8012061Airframe modelPiper PA-31-325Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) N71MJ, a PA-31 was on a day VFR pleasure flight with a pilot and two passengers on board. The pilot had been previously conducting practice takeoffs and landing. While taxiing to return to the runway, the pilot cycled the landig gear switch from the down neutral position to the down position. Verbal and written statements from the pilot indicated that the landing gear selector switch was pulled out and then pushed down. When this action occurred the left main landing gear collapsed with the left wing and propeller impacted the ground. Investigation revealed that the landing gear anti-retraction solenoid had previously been improperly installed, and was not correctly aligned, allowing the landing gear selector switch to be moved past the down detent.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) N71MJ, A PA-31 WAS ON A DAY VFR PLEASURE FLIGHT WITH A PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS ON BOARD. THE PILOT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTING PRACTICE TAKEOFFS AND LANDING. WHILE TAXIING TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT CYCLED THE LANDIG GEAR SWITCH FROM THE DOWN NEUTRAL POSITION TO THE DOWN POSITION. VERBAL AND WRITTEN STATEMENTS FROM THE PILOT INDICATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH WAS PULLED OUT AND THEN PUSHED DOWN. WHEN THIS ACTION OCCURRED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED WITH THE LEFT WING AND PROPELLER IMPACTED THE GROUND. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LANDING GEAR ANTI-RETRACTION SOLENOID HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN IMPROPERLY INSTALLED, AND WAS NOT CORRECTLY ALIGNED, ALLOWING THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR SWITCH TO BE MOVED PAST THE DOWN DETENT.