- Date
- April 15, 1982, 11:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Clemson, SC
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N7570LPiper PA-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 15, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820415009459A
- Case key
- 70275
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
During the preflight inspection the pilot noticed the hydraulically operated inboard main landing gear doors were open. Although realizing that they should be closed when the landing gear are fully extended, he pumped the doors up and taxied for takeoff. Shortly after he received a call on UNICOM that the gear doors were down. He taxied into position on thr runway, where the left main gear collapsed. The pilot had taped the unsafe-gear lights in the cockpit for night operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7570L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31 7300964
- Airframe hours
- 2,182
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Clemson University Athletic De
- Registered owner
- Clemson University Athletic De
- Departed
- CEU · Clemson, SC
- Destination
- RWI · Rocky Mount, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CEU · Clemson-Oconee County, runway 25, 3,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 16,400 total · 1,375 in this make and model · 9,999 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 149 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.