- Date
- June 1, 2010, 09:55 local (14:55 UTC)
- Place
- Okmulgee, OK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9290PPiper PA-44-180
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 21, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20100601041049A
- Case key
- 76273
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 student pilot’s inadvertent retraction of the nose landing gear and the flight instructor's delayed response.
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
Following a practice instrument approach, the student pilot and flight instructor intended to perform a touch-and-go maneuver. During the landing roll the instructor informed the student to retract the airplane’s flaps; however, the student inadvertently moved the landing gear retraction/extension handle to the “up” position. Although the instructor moved the landing gear handle back to the “down” position, the airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane continued down the runway about 240 feet before exiting the right side of the runway into the grass. The airplane came to rest in a nose-down position and all three occupants were able to exit unassisted. An examination of the airplane by maintenance personnel after the accident revealed that the right wing sustained structural damage. There were no reported anomalies with the airplane’s landing gear prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
Following a practice instrument approach, the student pilot and flight instructor intended to perform a touch-and-go maneuver. During the landing roll the instructor informed the student to retract the twin-engine airplane’s flaps; however, the student inadvertently moved the landing gear retraction/extension handle to the “up” position. Although, the instructor moved the landing gear handle back to the “down” position, the airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane continued down the runway about 240 feet before exiting the right side of the runway into the grass. The airplane came to rest in a nose down position and all three occupants were able to exit unassisted. An examination of the airplane by maintenance personnel after the accident revealed that the right wing sustained structural damage. There were no reported anomalies with the airplane’s landing gear prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9290P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4496019
- Airframe hours
- 7,383
- Engines
- Lycoming LO-360-A1HD, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O&VO-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O-360-A1HD, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Spartan Aviation Industries Inc
- Registered owner
- Spartan Aviation Industries Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 5, 2010
- Departed
- RVS · Tulsa, OK
- Destination
- OKM · Okmulgee, OK
- Airport
- OKM · Okmulgee Regional, runway 18, 5,150 × 100 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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 25, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,335 total · 86 in this make and model · 1,108 as pilot in command · 91 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 23, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB 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.