# NTSB DEN03LA127: Piper PA-24-260, N8547P, Ogden, UT, June 28, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 28, 2003, 13:47 local (19:47 UTC) - Place: Ogden, UT - Coordinates: 41.191112, -112.006942 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.1911&lon=-112.0069&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 57462 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN03LA127 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57462/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA127 ## Probable cause the failure of the landing gear retraction/extension assembly due to the improper rigging of the landing gear. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Complete gear collapsed, landing - roll - landing gear,normal retraction/extension assembly (cause) - maintenance,alignment - improper (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - runway ## Analysis The pilot said he had just taken off. During the climb, he noticed that the landing gear indicator did not indicate up and locked. The pilot reported that he cycled the gear, but still did not have the up and locked indication. The airplane landed and rolled approximately 300 feet when the gear collapsed, causing substantial damage to a bulkhead, the engine mounts, firewall, and propeller. The pilot said the landing gear might have been rigged improperly. An examination of the landing gear system showed the system was rigged improperly resulting in the inability of the locking mechanism to hold the gear in the up and locked or down and locked positions. The landing gear motor brakes showed excessive wear. No other anomalies were found. A review of the airplane's logbook showed that the landing gear had undergone extensive maintenance approximately 30 hours prior to the accident. ## Factual narrative On June 28, 2003, at 1347 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260, N8547P, piloted by the private pilot, was substantially damaged during landing at the Ogden-Hinckley Airport (OGD), Ogden, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board the airplane reported no injuries. The local flight originated approximately 1320. According to the pilot, he had just taken off from OGD. During the climb, he noticed that the landing gear indicator did not indicate up and locked. The pilot reported that he cycled the gear, but still did not have the up and locked indication. The pilot elected to return to OGD and land. The airplane landed and rolled approximately 300 feet when the gear collapsed. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane at OGD. The bottom fuselage skin was scraped aft through to the bulkhead and ribs. One of the bulkheads was scraped aft and bent. The engine mounts were broken upward and the firewall was buckled. The inboard trailing edges of both wing flaps were scrapped. The propeller blades showed torsional bending and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. According to the pilot, the landing gear might have been rigged improperly. An examination of the landing gear system showed the system was rigged improperly resulting in the inability of the locking mechanism to hold the gear in the up and locked or down and locked positions. The landing gear motor brakes showed excessive wear. An examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. An airframe and powerplant mechanic who examined the system said that the motor had been holding the landing gear in position. A review of the airplane's logbook showed that the landing gear had undergone extensive maintenance approximately 30 hours prior to the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8547P](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8547P), registered now, S/N 24-4004, built 1964 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-24-260 - Registry model: [Piper PA-24-260](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-260) (registry code 7102406) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming TI0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (registry code 41533, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-4004 - Airframe hours: 4172 - Engines: Lycoming IO-540-D4A5 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Alan Thompson - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 15, 2002, 30 hours before - Departed: OGD, Ogden, UT - Airport: OGD, Odgen-Hinkley Airport, runway 25, 5,590 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review January 29, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 1,162 total, 600 in this make and model, 1,104 as pilot in command, 14 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 260° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 36 °F - Altimeter: 30.07 inHg - Observed at: OGD, 1 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030628013279A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030628013279A), Jun 28, 2003: Piper PA24260, Ogden, UT, Substantial damage. (-23) On 6/28/03, at 1247MDT, N8547P, a Piper PA-24-260, piloted by alan wayne thompson sustained substantial damage when his aircraft landing gear collapsed… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.