- Date
- July 8, 1993, 11:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Junction, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8967PPiper PA-24-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930708027589A
- Case key
- 11091
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
Failure of the pilot in command to follow manual gear extension procedures. A factor was a total electrical failure.
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
While en route on a cross country flight, the aircraft electrical system failed. As a result, when the pilot put the landing gear down he had no gear lights. He stated that the manual system appeared to be in the proper position for the gear to be down and locked, but during landing roll, he had difficulty in maintaining directional control and the landing gear collapsed.
Factual narrative
On July 8, 1993, at 1150 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260, N8967P, landed gear up at Walker Field, Grand Junction, Colorado. The commercial pilot, and sole occupant, was not injured; however, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight from Animas Air Park, Durango, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the information provided by the pilot on NTSB Form 6120.1/2, he had previous problems with the electrical system, which he had corrected prior to the flight; however, he reported the electrical system failed while en route. He further reported that he had no gear lights and it appeared that the manual gear indicator was in the proper position to show the gear was down and locked. The pilot did not go through manual gear extension procedures. During landing roll, he had difficulty with directional control and the landing gear collapsed.
No information is available as to the cause of the electrical failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8967P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-4424
- Airframe hours
- 8,000
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- G W W Commanche, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 5CO · Durango, CO
- Airport
- GJT · Walker Field, runway 4, 5,501 × 75 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
- 41
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,185 total · 28 in this make and model · 1,093 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N8967P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.