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20110904022549A

Accident · Minor damage
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-44-180 · Phoenix, AZ · September 4, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 4, 2011 · 08:33 local
Place
Phoenix, AZ
Airport
Deer Valley
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
FQAS
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N316PA
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR11LA471
Reported as
Piper PA-44-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
3,911 total772 in this make and model130 in the last 90 days
N316PARegistered now · Piper PA-44-180S/N 4496125 · Built 2002Airframe modelPiper PA-44-180Engine modelLycoming O-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

On September 4, 2011, aircraft N316PA was performing touch and goes with instructor pilot privacy data omitted and student pilot privacy data omitted. During the third landing on runway 7R, the instructor pilot noticed the aircraft was nose low and decided to perform a full stop. The instructor took control of the aircraft and rolled out to taxiway C6 where he exited the runway. The instructor pilot stated that he believed the aircraft had blown a nose landing gear strut and was safe to taxi. As the instructor pilot powered up to taxi back to parking, he heard the left and right propellers strike the ground. The aircraft's nose landing gear drag link failed at the knuckle where the airframe mounted portion of the draglink connects to the landing gear portion. The airframe side of the draglink had material failure at the attachment bolt hole. The nose landing gear moved forward (opposite of the direction of retraction) and came to rest on the foward nose cone bulkhead. As the pilot was attempting to steer the aircraft with the rudder pedals, the added stress caused the steering horn mount bolts to fail. The additional loss of support for the nose landing gear and added power caused the gear to crush and crack the nose cone bulkhead. This caused the aircraft to settle further and allowed the propellers to strike the ground

As the FAA filed it

ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2011, AIRCRAFT N316PA WAS PERFORMING TOUCH AND GOES WITH INSTRUCTOR PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND STUDENT PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. DURING THE THIRD LANDING ON RUNWAY 7R, THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT NOTICED THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOSE LOW AND DECIDED TO PERFORM A FULL STOP. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ROLLED OUT TO TAXIWAY C6 WHERE HE EXITED THE RUNWAY. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THE AIRCRAFT HAD BLOWN A NOSE LANDING GEAR STRUT AND WAS SAFE TO TAXI. AS THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT POWERED UP TO TAXI BACK TO PARKING, HE HEARD THE LEFT AND RIGHT PROPELLERS STRIKE THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE LANDING GEAR DRAG LINK FAILED AT THE KNUCKLE WHERE THE AIRFRAME MOUNTED PORTION OF THE DRAGLINK CONNECTS TO THE LANDING GEAR PORTION. THE AIRFRAME SIDE OF THE DRAGLINK HAD MATERIAL FAILURE AT THE ATTACHMENT BOLT HOLE. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR MOVED FORWARD (OPPOSITE OF THE DIRECTION OF RETRACTION) AND CAME TO REST ON THE FOWARD NOSE CONE BULKHEAD. AS THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO STEER THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE RUDDER PEDALS, THE ADDED STRESS CAUSED THE STEERING HORN MOUNT BOLTS TO FAIL. THE ADDITIONAL LOSS OF SUPPORT FOR THE NOSE LANDING GEAR AND ADDED POWER CAUSED THE GEAR TO CRUSH AND CRACK THE NOSE CONE BULKHEAD. THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO SETTLE FURTHER AND ALLOWED THE PROPELLERS TO STRIKE THE GROUND

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR11LA471Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPhoenix, AZThe pilot's improper flare and hard landing, which resulted in the failure of the nose landing gear drag link in overstress.Sep 4, 2011 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N316PA · 1

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

Incident 20130914020349IDescent · Phoenix, AZCFI conducted a simulated engine failure. Student secured the simulated engine out per the checklist, when he brought the engine back to normal operation he turned off the good alternator instead of turning on the one that was off. This left both alternators…Sep 14, 2013 · No damage