20120413006389A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-20 · Williamstown, NJ · April 13, 2012

Date: April 13, 2012 · 14:15 local
Place: Williamstown, NJ
Airport: Cross Keys
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N7001K
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA12LA287
Reported as: Piper PA-20
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-290 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 980 total30 in this make and model56 in the last 90 days

N7001KRegistered now · Piper PA-20S/N 20-108 · Built 1950 Airframe modelPiper PA-20 Engine modelLycoming 0-290 series4 cycle

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.

Aircraft touched down on runway 9. The aircraft drifted right due to the crosswind. The pilot corrected left and the right main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft came to rest off of the left side of the runway at an intersection of the runway and taxiway approximately half the length of runway. The taxiway is the entrance to a skydiving school. Approximately thirty (30) skydivers lifted and moved the aircraft twenty-five (25) feet prior to the FAA arrival. NTSB labortory determined that the landing gear collapsed due to overload.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON RUNWAY 9. THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTED RIGHT DUE TO THE CROSSWIND. THE PILOT CORRECTED LEFT AND THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST OFF OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AT AN INTERSECTION OF THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY APPROXIMATELY HALF THE LENGTH OF RUNWAY. THE TAXIWAY IS THE ENTRANCE TO A SKYDIVING SCHOOL. APPROXIMATELY THIRTY (30) SKYDIVERS LIFTED AND MOVED THE AIRCRAFT TWENTY-FIVE (25) FEET PRIOR TO THE FAA ARRIVAL. NTSB LABORTORY DETERMINED THAT THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DUE TO OVERLOAD.

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 ERA12LA287Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCross Keys, NJThe pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in the overstress and subsequent failure of the right main landing gear assembly.Apr 13, 2012 · Substantial damage