- Date
- February 18, 1990, 08:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Pontiac, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N8394DPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900218003269A
- Case key
- 14635
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
Overload failure of the left main landing gear attach bolts for an undetermined reason.
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
The instructor (CFI) and dual instrument student were taxiing from the ramp to the active runway when the left main landing gear collapsed. Post-accident investigation revealed that the landing gear bolts on the left gear had failed. The CFI reported that they were taxiing straight ahead on a smooth, paved surface, and moving at a normal taxi rate when the accident occurred. The failures appeared to be due to overload; there was no report of a previous hard landing in the accident aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8394D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8116238
- Airframe hours
- 3,215
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Tradewinds Aviation, Inc
- Registered owner
- Michael D. Keith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 2, 1990 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- PTK
- Destination
- FNT · Flint, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PTK · Oakland Pontiac
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,205 total · 76 in this make and model · 1,100 as pilot in command · 136 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK
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 N8394D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.