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20260503006119I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-34-200T · Lake Charles, LA · May 3, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 3, 2026 · 13:55 local
Place
Lake Charles, LA
Airport
Lake Charles Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N32015
Reported as
Piper PA-34-200T
Reported engine
Continental TSIO-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,060 total
N32015Registered now · Piper PA-34-200TS/N 34-7570007 · Built 1974Airframe modelPiper PA-34-200TEngine modelContinental TSIO-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.

Incident aircraft was on a training flight performing maneuvers and performing multiple short-field takeoffs/landings on runway 15 at the Lake Charles airport regional airport (lch). Instrument student pilot stated that while in the traffic pattern flying a right downwind to runway 15 to perform a short-field landing he initiated the landing gear extension sequence. Upon doing so he noticed the three green gear indicator lights flickered green briefly and then extinguished. He notified the CFI of the abnormal indication. CFI announced that he was taking the controls and assumed command of the aircraft. CFI indicated to the tower that they had an unsafe landing gear indication. Lake Charles tower suggested the aircraft do a low pass, where it was observed that the front gear was down, the right main gear was partially down, and the left main gear was not extended at all. CFI stated that he performed the emergency gear extension procedure at which time all three green lights were illuminated and tower visually confirmed that all three wheels were down. In the downwind, CFI performed g-loading maneuvers to assure gear locking. Upon the aircraft touching down on runway 15 and weight transferred to the gear, the landing gear collapsed. The aircraft skidded approximately 500 feet down the runway, veered slightly left, and came to a stop just before the grass.

During investigation FAA iic found the landing gear select switch retaining nut broken. Therefore, landing gear select switch was loose and landing gear control wiring was intermittently shorting to the airframe.

As the FAA filed it

INCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS ON A TRAINING FLIGHT PERFORMING MANEUVERS AND PERFORMING MULTIPLE SHORT-FIELD TAKEOFFS/LANDINGS ON RUNWAY 15 AT THE LAKE CHARLES AIRPORT REGIONAL AIRPORT (LCH). INSTRUMENT STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FLYING A RIGHT DOWNWIND TO RUNWAY 15 TO PERFORM A SHORT-FIELD LANDING HE INITIATED THE LANDING GEAR EXTENSION SEQUENCE. UPON DOING SO HE NOTICED THE THREE GREEN GEAR INDICATOR LIGHTS FLICKERED GREEN BRIEFLY AND THEN EXTINGUISHED. HE NOTIFIED THE CFI OF THE ABNORMAL INDICATION. CFI ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS TAKING THE CONTROLS AND ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE AIRCRAFT. CFI INDICATED TO THE TOWER THAT THEY HAD AN UNSAFE LANDING GEAR INDICATION. LAKE CHARLES TOWER SUGGESTED THE AIRCRAFT DO A LOW PASS, WHERE IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE FRONT GEAR WAS DOWN, THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS PARTIALLY DOWN, AND THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED AT ALL. CFI STATED THAT HE PERFORMED THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE AT WHICH TIME ALL THREE GREEN LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED AND TOWER VISUALLY CONFIRMED THAT ALL THREE WHEELS WERE DOWN. IN THE DOWNWIND, CFI PERFORMED G-LOADING MANEUVERS TO ASSURE GEAR LOCKING. UPON THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHING DOWN ON RUNWAY 15 AND WEIGHT TRANSFERRED TO THE GEAR, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY, VEERED SLIGHTLY LEFT, AND CAME TO A STOP JUST BEFORE THE GRASS.

DURING INVESTIGATION FAA IIC FOUND THE LANDING GEAR SELECT SWITCH RETAINING NUT BROKEN. THEREFORE, LANDING GEAR SELECT SWITCH WAS LOOSE AND LANDING GEAR CONTROL WIRING WAS INTERMITTENTLY SHORTING TO THE AIRFRAME.