- Date
- August 1, 2002, 13:47 local (17:47 UTC)
- Place
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N957TPiper PA-32R-301
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Ft. Lauderdale FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020801020249A
- Case key
- 55417
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot in command failed to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll that resulted in a ground loop and the overload failure of the right main landing gear.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the private pilot, as he applied braking action during rollout, the airplane began to veer left. Although he added right rudder to correct the problem, he was not able to stop the airplane from veering to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane spun around approximately 180 degrees, coming to rest on the runway surface. Examination of the airplane revealed a significant amount of side load had occurred, and both the left and right main landing gears collapsed to the left. The right wing was damaged when the landing gear collapsed. There were several tire marks on the runway that terminated at the point where the airplane rested. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane prior to and during the accident sequence of events.
Factual narrative
On August 1, 2002, at 1347 eastern daylight tine a Piper PA-32R-301, N957T, registered to B & B Contracting and operated by a private pilot, right main landing gear collapsed while taxiing after landing at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with an instrument flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the private pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight departed Naples, Florida, at 1300 on August 1, 2001.
According to the private pilot, as he applied braking action during rollout after landing the airplane began to veer left. Although the pilot added right rudder to correct the problem, he was not able to stop the airplane from veering to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane spun around approximately 180 degrees, coming to rest on the runway surface with a heading of 130 degrees.
Examination of the airplane revealed a significant amount of side load had occurred, and both the left and right main landing gear collapsed to the left as a result. The right wing was damaged when the landing gear collapsed. There were several tire marks on the runway that terminated at the point where the airplane rested. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane prior to and during the accident sequence of events. The recorded winds were variable at three knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N957T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3246176
- Airframe hours
- 418
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2002 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- APF · Naples, FL
- Destination
- FXE · Ft. Lauderdale, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale Executive, runway 310, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 418 total · 300 in this make and model · 418 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 22, 2003, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 301 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.