# NTSB ERA25LA168: Piper PA-34-200, N333SE, Vero Beach, FL, April 4, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: April 4, 2025, 14:17 local (18:17 UTC) - Place: Vero Beach, FL - Coordinates: 27.653517, -80.415495 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.6535&lon=-80.4155&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - 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 - NTSB case key (mKey): 199977 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA25LA168 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/199977/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=199977 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA168 ## Probable cause Separation of the lower nose landing gear down lock link bolt, which resulted in a collapse of the nose landing gear during landing. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Landing gear system: gear extension and retract sys](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023230): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-34-200, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023230/cases.md?model=7103405), [All aircraft, 416 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023230/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-34-200, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=7103405), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) ## Analysis The student and flight instructor of the multi-engine airplane departed for a training flight and initially planned to practice touch-and-go landings in the airport traffic pattern. After performing a go-around during the initial landing attempt, the flight instructor described that the student configured the airplane for landing and verified that the landing gear were extended. About 2 seconds after the airplane touched down on the runway normally, the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest on the runway and the lower forward fuselage was substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the landing gear revealed that the lower bolt, which secured the nose landing gear down lock link to the lower drag link, was missing. The bolt was not found after the accident. Without this bolt, the nose landing gear could not remain in a locked position after it was extended. Given this information, it is likely that the bolt separated during the flight, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapse during the subsequent landing. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N333SE](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N333SE), registered now, S/N 34-7350091, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-34-200 - Registry model: [Piper PA-34-200](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-200) (registry code 7103405) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (registry code 41515, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 34-7350091 - Year built: 1973 - Airframe hours: 7468.6 - Engines: Lycoming LIO-360-C1E6 200 horsepower reciprocating; Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 200 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Paris Air Inc, doing business as Flight School - Registered owner: Paris Air Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, January 21, 2025 - Destination: Same as departure - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: VRB, Vero Beach Regional Airport, runway 12R, 7,314 × 100 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Flight instructor; age 28; injuries: none; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review April 19, 2024; seat: right; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 1,824.2 total, 847.6 in this make and model, 1,751.4 as pilot in command, 245.9 in the last 90 days, 71.7 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours - Student pilot; age 37; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review December 6, 2024; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 325 total, 34.9 in this make and model, 238.9 as pilot in command, 33.4 in the last 90 days, 10.6 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 120° at 17 knots, gusting 27 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 3026.00 inHg - Observed at: VRB, 0.38 nm away - METAR: KFPR 041753Z 12020G26KT 10SM FEW026 28/20 A3025 RMK AO2 PK WND 10028/1726 SLP242 T02780200 10283 20239 58012 ## 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 20250404003039A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250404003039A), Apr 4, 2025: Piper PA-34-200, Vero Beach, FL, Substantial damage. According to the pilot, the aircraft was on final, at 2:17 pm EST, the main gear touched down first followed by the nose gear. All three landing gears touched… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 5, 2025, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=199977. 1.5 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 291 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18799767&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120.1_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Investigation photographs (item 2, PDF, 4 pages, 1.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18640953&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Investigation%20Photographs-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record a�� telephone interview, maintenance (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 65 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18790342&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MOR%20MX%20Interview-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record a�� safety result (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 75 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18789754&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MOR%20Safety%20Result-Rel.pdf 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.