- Date
- October 29, 2023, 11:56 local (15:56 UTC)
- Place
- Highgate, VT
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N289WWPiper PA-39
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear not configured
- 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
- 20231029017989A
- Case key
- 193415
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 pilot’s inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during landing rollout, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.
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 during the landing rollout on a 3,001-ft-long, asphalt runway, he intended to retract the flaps, but instead he retracted the landing gear. The result was that all three of the landing gear assemblies retracted into their respective wheel wells during the landing roll. The lower fuselage stringers were substantially damaged. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The airplane was equipped with a squat switch on the left main landing gear that was designed to prevent the landing gear from inadvertently retracting; however, the switch required that sufficient weight be on the landing gear in order to work effectively. The pilot stated, and a video of the landing confirmed, that the airplane was still moving at relatively high speed when he selected the landing gear handle to the retracted position. The pilot reported that the squat switch was tested at the last annual inspection and that it operated normally during the inspection. Based on this information, it is likely that the airplane’s wings were still generating lift when the landing gear handle was selected to the retracted position and the gear struts was not compressed enough to activate the squat switch.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N289WW
- Reported as
- Piper PA-39 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 39-84
- Built
- 1971
- Airframe hours
- 7,836.5
- Engines
- Lycoming LIO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 15, 2022 · 76.6 hours before
- Departed
- FSO · Highgate, VT
- Airport
- FSO · Franklin County State, runway 01/19, 3,001 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, 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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 22, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 25,600 total · 154 in this make and model · 20,800 as pilot in command · 108.5 in the last 90 days · 44.9 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 40 °F, dew point 31 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.24 inHg
- Observed at
- FSO
- METAR
- KFSO 291555Z AUTO 07003KT 10SM SCT043 OVC050 05/M01 A3024 RMK AO2 T00471007
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.0 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.