- Date
- November 18, 2010, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Spring, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8320HPiper PA-28RT-201T
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20101118055939A
- Case key
- 77977
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 right landing gear down-lock mechanism to fully engage. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inability to verify the landing gear extension due to the inoperative alternator.
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
Shortly after departure the airplane experienced an electrical failure. The pilot elected to return to his departure airport for landing. He performed an emergency landing gear extension; however, with no electrical power remaining, he could not verify that the landing gear was down and locked via the gear position lights. Seconds after the airplane touched down on the runway, the right landing gear collapsed. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control and the airplane departed the right side of the runway and impacted a runway light, coming to rest in an upright and right-wing-low position adjacent to the runway. The airplane’s right wing spar and right aileron were substantially damaged during the accident. An examination of the right landing gear revealed that the downlock mechanism had not fully engaged, thus resulting in its collapse. The electrical failure was due to an inoperative alternator.
Factual narrative
Shortly after departure the single-engine airplane experienced an electrical failure. The private pilot elected to return to his departure airport for landing. The pilot performed an emergency landing gear extension; however, with no electrical power remaining, he could not verify that it was down and locked via the gear position lights. Seconds after the airplane touched down to the runway, the right landing gear collapsed. Unable to maintain directional control, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and hit a runway light, before coming to rest in an upright and right wing low position alongside the runway. The airplane’s right wing spar and right aileron were substantially damaged during the accident. An examination of the right landing gear revealed that the downlock mechanism had not fully engaged, thus resulting in its collapse. In addition, the electrical failure was due to an inoperative alternator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8320H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8131057
- Airframe hours
- 7,857
- Engine
- Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stick Larry G
- Registered owner
- Stick Larry G
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 12, 2010
- Departed
- DWH · Spring, TX
- Destination
- DZB · Horseshoe Bay, TX
- Airport
- DWH · David Wayne Hooks Memorial, runway 35L, 7,000 × 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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 14, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 361 total · 261 in this make and model · 176 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 102 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.34 inHg
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 9, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.
Other investigations on N8320H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.