- Date
- March 7, 2024, 17:24 local (22:24 UTC)
- Place
- Stafford, VA · Runway 15 at RMN airport
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6339PPiper PA24
- Defining event
- Landing: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- 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
- 20240307002869A
- Case key
- 193917
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
An overloading of the landing gear push/pull cable rod ends, which resulted in the landing gear being seized in an intermediate position during the subsequent landing.
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 while landing at his initial destination, the right main landing gear partially collapsed. He stated that the initial touchdown was normal, and not hard or side loaded. Once the right main gear partially collapsed, the pilot aborted the landing and attempted to retract the landing gear; however, it would not retract, and the landing gear circuit breaker tripped. The pilot contacted a mechanic and attempted to troubleshoot the problem during the pilot’s flight back to his home airport. During the troubleshooting, the pilot attempted to utilize the manual landing gear extension without success. The pilot performed multiple low passes for the mechanic to visually observe the landing gear. The mechanic reported that the left main landing gear appeared to be almost fully extended; however, the right main and nose gear were in a mid-transit position. After multiple failed attempts to correct the landing gear problem in the air, the pilot landed at his home airport. During the landing, the landing gear fully collapsed resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and the wing spar. Examination of the landing gear by the mechanic revealed that the left and right main landing gear push tubes were bent, consistent with the push rods being overloaded. An operational test of the landing gear motor revealed that it operated normally.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6339P
- Reported as
- Piper PA24 (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1449
- Built
- 1959
- Airframe hours
- 6,476.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aviation Adventures, doing business as Aviation Adventures
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 21, 2023 · 65.5 hours before
- Departed
- TGI · Tangier, VA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- RMN · Stafford Rgnl, runway 15, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 8, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 644.5 total · 24.2 in this make and model · 424.5 as pilot in command · 22.4 in the last 90 days · 10.3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- RMN
- METAR
- KRMN 072215Z AUTO 03008KT 10SM OVC050 22/10 A2999 RMK AO2 T02150100
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 21, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 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.