# Accident 20140216001299A: Piper PA-30, Allentown, PA, February 16, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 16, 2014, 14:40 local time
- Place: Allentown, PA
- Airport: Queen City Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: G7WS
- Location: 40.5703° N, 75.4883° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.5703&lon=-75.4883&mi=10
- Aircraft: N931JS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N931JS-2018-02-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-30 (registry code 7103002, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-320 series (registry code 41509, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-30
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 6,450 total, 74 in this make and model, 103 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA14LA133](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA133) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140216001299A

## Narrative

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

INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. AIRCRAFT LANDED KXLL RWY 25, DEPARTED LEFT EDGE OF RUNWAY JUST PAST INTERSECTION, IMPACT LOW SNOWBANK.

ELEVATOR, AILERON, RUDDER, AND NOSE WHEEL STEERING SYSTEMS INTACT AND CONTINUOUS.

TIRE PRESSURES ARE NOSE 18, LEFT 45, RIGHT 42. LEFT TIRE SHOWS ONE SMALL REVERSIONARY PATCH. RIGHT TIRE IS UNREMARKABLE. NOSE TIRE SHOWS CONTINUOUS CIRCUMFERENTIAL SCUFF ON LEFT EDGE OF TREAD.

OBSERVED AIRCRAFT DAMAGE INCLUDES: LEFT GEAR TRUNNION FRACTURED BETWEEN OLEO TUBE AND REAR PIVOT BEARING, FWD PIVOT BEARING CARRIER FRACTURED, AFT TRUNNION BEARING CARRIER BULKHEAD BENT, SKIN ABOVE TRUNNION PUNCTURED BY TRUNNION AND DEFORMED BY BULKHEAD , NACELLE DEFORMED DUE TO SUPPORTING SKIN DEFORMATION, SKIN AND BULKHEAD BEHIND LEFT GEAR DEFORMED DUE TO CONTACT WITH TORQUE LINKS, GEAR DOOR BENT AND ROD BROKEN; BUT GEAR STILL SUPPORTING AIRCRAFT. NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED DUE TO FAILURE OF DRAG LINK AT IMPACT WITH SNOWBANK. COLLISION DAMAGE TO NOSE CONE AND GEAR DOORS FROM IMPACT WITH SNOWBANK. BOTH PROPELLERS HAVE ONE BLADE EACH BENT APPROX MIDSPAN, WITH VERY LITTLE ROTATIONAL SCRATCHING ON TIPS.

SKID MARKS ON RUNWAY LEADING TO IMPACT SITE SHOW AIRCRAFT WAS TRACKING STRAIGNT DOWN RUNWAY AND APPROXIMATELY ON CENTERLINE BUT WAS IN SIGNIFICANT LEFT CRAB (NOSE AND LEFT SKID MARKS SIGNIFICANTLY CLOSER TOGETHER THAN TO RIGHT SKID MARK) BEFORE HOOKING LEFT AND DEPARTING RUNWAY.

CLOSE EXAMINATION OF FRACTURED LEFT GEAR TRUNNION SHOWS 45 DEGREE BRITTLE OVERLOAD FRACTURE SIGNATURES TYPICAL OF OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE SURFACES WERE NOT PRISTINE, DUE TO SOME SMEARING FROM PARTS RUBBING TOGETHER DURING RECOVERY AND DISSASSEMBLY, BUT NO INDICATION (BEACH MARKS OR CHEVRONS) OF PRE-EXISTING FRACTURE WAS FOUND.

## 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 ERA14LA133](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA133), Feb 16, 2014: Piper PA-30 (N931JS), Allentown, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The flight instructor’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing.

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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