- Date
- September 26, 2021, 15:25 local (19:25 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3VMPiper PA-31-350
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/ FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210926016059A
- Case key
- 104212
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 collapse of the left main landing gear for reasons that could not be determined.
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
The pilot reported that after a normal approach and landing, during the landing roll after about 5 to 6 seconds, the left main landing gear collapsed. He immediately pulled the mixtures to idle-cut-off, the left wing contacted the runway, and the airplane skidded into the grass to the left of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that he observed three gear down green indications prior to landing. Postaccident examination of the landing gear system and functional tests found that the nose and main landing gear system functioned normally, and in addition, the three green indicator lights functioned normally. The investigation was unable to duplicate any fault or discover any anomaly with the landing gear system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3VM
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7305069
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 17,864
- Engines
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Aztec Worldwide Airlines Inc, doing business as Aztec Airways
- Registered owner
- Aztec Worldwide Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 23, 2021
- Departed
- MYAT · Treasure Cay, OF
- Destination
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale Executive, runway 09/27, 6,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 13, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 11,796 total · 4,858 in this make and model · 163 in the last 90 days · 81 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE
- METAR
- METAR KFXE 261953Z 05009KT 10SM FEW033 FEW050 SCT090 30/22 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP166 T03000222=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.0 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.