- Date
- October 27, 2005, 08:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Prescott, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8154HPiper PA-44-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20051027028489A
- Case key
- 62751
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 nose landing gear collapsing during the landing roll 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
The airplane experienced a nose landing gear collapse while on the landing roll. The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that she was performing the landing in the multiengine airplane. The student kept his hands on the control yoke in an attempt to follow along with the instructor and feel her control inputs. While approaching the runway surface, the instructor configured the airplane for a power-off landing and retarded the throttles. She noted that all three landing gear lights in the cockpit were illuminated green in indication that landing gear was in a down and locked position. She confirmed this configuration visually by looking at the reflection of the extended landing gear in a small mirror located on the wing. Upon touchdown, the main landing gear made contact with the runway and the student pilot began to reach for the landing gear handle thinking that it was the flap handle. The instructor waved her hand to block him and told him "no." The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid on the nose. After the airplane came to rest the instructor noted that the landing gear handle was in the "down" position. The student pilot stated that he did not touch the landing gear handle. A mechanic repairing the airplane reported that the landing gear and linkages were all intact with no anomalies noted. The actuator could not be tested due to the extent of the damage.
Factual narrative
The airplane experienced a landing gear collapse while on the landing roll. The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that she was performing a landing in the multiengine airplane. The student kept his hands on the control yoke in an attempt to follow along with the instructor and feel her control inputs. While approaching the runway surface, the CFI configured the airplane for a power-off landing and retarded the throttles aft. She noted that all three landing gear lights in the cockpit were illuminated green in indication that landing gear was in a down and locked position. She confirmed this configuration visually by looking at the reflection of the extended landing gear in a small mirror located on the wing. Upon touchdown, the main landing gear made contact with the runway and the student pilot began to reach for the landing gear handle thinking that it was the flap handle. The CFI waved her hand to block him and told him "no." The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid on the nose. After the airplane came to rest the CFI noted that the landing gear handle was in the "down" position. The student pilot stated that he did not touch the landing gear handle.
A mechanic repairing the airplane reported that the landing gear and linkages were all intact with no anomalies noted. The actuator was not tested due to the extent of the damage. The airplane incurred damage to a rib in the nose.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8154H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 44-8107001
- Engine
- Lycoming TO-360-EIA6D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- North Aire, Inc.
- Registered owner
- J & J Aircraft Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PRC · Prescott, AZ
- Airport
- PRC · Ernest A. Love Field Airport, runway 21L, 7,550 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 24
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 577 total · 51 in this make and model · 95 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 87 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.