- Date
- February 4, 2010, 10:43 local (16:43 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N723JPPiper PA-31T
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-Kansas City FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100204026829A
- Case key
- 75354
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 pilot's failure to verify that the landing gear was fully extended prior to landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that the accident occurred during landing at the destination airport under visual weather conditions and light winds. He stated that upon landing, the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the runway. The airplane subsequently departed the runway pavement and came to rest about mid-field in the grass adjacent to the runway. It had rotated about 180 degrees and was oriented on an approximately reciprocal heading. The right main landing gear also collapsed during the accident sequence. The pilot stated that verifying the landing gear indications was normally part of his before-landing procedure; however, he could not specifically recall observing three green indications prior to the accident. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the lower fuselage in the vicinity of the cabin entry door. In addition, the inboard landing gear doors exhibited crushing damage consistent with the landing gear being in transit at the time of contact with the runway. The inboard landing gear doors open when the gear is in transit and close after the gear extension sequence is complete. Recorded winds at the time of the accident were 8 knots.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that the accident occurred during landing at the intended destination airport under visual weather conditions and light winds. He stated that upon landing, the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the runway. The airplane subsequently departed the runway pavement and came to rest about mid-field in the grass adjacent to the runway. It had rotated about 180 degrees and was oriented on an approximately reciprocal heading. The right main landing gear also collapsed during the accident sequence. The pilot stated that verifying the landing gear indications was normally part of his before landing procedure. However, he could not specifically recall observing three green indications prior to the accident. A post accident examination revealed substantial damage to the lower fuselage in the vicinity of the cabin entry door. In addition, the inboard landing gear doors exhibited crushing damage consistent with the landing gear being in transit at the time of contact with the runway. The inboard landing gear doors open when the gear is in transit and close after the gear extension sequence is complete. Recorded winds at the time of the accident were 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N723JP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-7920009
- Airframe hours
- 6,242
- Engines
- U/A Canada PT6A SERIES, 715 horsepower, turbo propU/A Canada PT6A SERIES, 715 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Missouri Forge Inc
- Registered owner
- Missouri Forge Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 30, 2009
- Departed
- X33 · Doniphan, MO
- Destination
- COU · Columbia, MO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- COU · Columbia Regional, runway 02, 6,501 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,821 total · 1,850 in this make and model · 5,750 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- COU, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 1, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 891 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.