- Date
- August 27, 1990, 19:12 local (23:12 UTC)
- Place
- Indian Trail, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3255RPiper PA-28
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900827036589A
- Case key
- 8269
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
The failure of the pilot to have the landing gear inspected after experiencing unsafe gear indications.
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 several flights the pilot had experienced landing gear indicator problems; however, there had not been a gear failure. On the accident flight the pilot again experienced an unsafe condition and as the airplane rolled out, the left gear retracted and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. The over-center lock was unlocked. There was no mechanical reason for this failure. However, the runway condition was described as rough with several potholes. The manufacturer stated that the landing gear may inadvertently retract during operation on rough terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3255R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R31253
- Airframe hours
- 3,488
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360 B1E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hawkins, Perry
- Registered owner
- Hawkins, Kenneth P
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 17, 1990 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Airport
- 28A · Goose Creek, runway 22, 2,350 × 40 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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 250 total · 56 in this make and model · 250 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLT, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.