- Date
- January 9, 2003, 10:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Roanoke, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2981RPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Fort Worth FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030109031109A
- Case key
- 57799
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 failure of the main landing gear assembly and attach points for undetermined reasons.
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
On a post-flight inspection, the left main landing gear was found forced through the upper left wing surface, and the right main landing gear distorted the upper right wing surface. The reason for the failure of the main landing gear assembly and attach points was not determined.
Factual narrative
On January 9, 2003, about 1000 central standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200 single-engine airplane, N2981R, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the runway while landing at Northwest Regional Airport (52F) near Roanoke, Texas. The airplane was registered to a private individual and operated by Marcair Aviation, Inc., of Roanoke, Texas. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91 instructional flight, which departed 52F approximately 0900.
The 9,200-hour flight instructor reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that on the preflight inspection of the airplane, no abnormalities were found, but on the post-flight inspection, a crack in the upper skin on the left wing was discovered.
The owner of the airplane reported to the FAA that the left main landing gear was forced through the upper left wing skin, and the right main landing gear distorted the upper right wing skin. He also added that the nose gear, engine mount, and steering rods were bent.
Runway 17 is 3,500 feet long and 50 feet wide. Wind was reported by the weather observation facility at Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW), which is about six miles southwest, to be from 240 degrees at 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2981R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-35370
- Airframe hours
- 2,204.81
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Marcair Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Creighton Cardwell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 5, 2002 · 21.2 hours before
- Departed
- 52/F · Roanoke, TX
- Destination
- 52F · Roanoke, TX
- Airport
- 52F · Northwest Regional Airport, runway 17, 3,500 × 50 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,200 total · 50 in this make and model · 7,100 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- October 30, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 70 in this make and model · 275 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.76 inHg
- Observed at
- AFW, 6 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 30, 2004, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.
Other investigations on N2981R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.