- Date
- April 27, 1992, 22:00 local (Apr 28, 1992, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N140RDPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report July 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920427011999A
- Case key
- 18484
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 hydraulic system seal and the subsequent fluid leak.
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
The pilot reported to the tower a problem with the airplane's landing gear system. A flyover was performed and a gear problem confirmed. The pilot was cleared to fly around the traffic pattern. Upon touchdown on runway 04, the nose and right landing gear collapsed. The hydraulic system was found depleted of fluid and the seal for the emergency gear extention hand pump was found to be the source of the leak.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N140RD
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7552051
- Airframe hours
- 6,000
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Winemiller, Eric W., doing business as Winemiller Aviation
- Registered owner
- Winemiller, Eric W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 30, 1991 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- AMA · Amarillo, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- HOU · William P. Hobby, runway 4, 7,602 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 23
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 500 in this make and model · 1,700 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.