- Date
- March 20, 2008, 10:26 local (17:26 UTC)
- Place
- Portland, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4098APiper PA-31-350
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administraion
- FAA report
- 20080320012679A
- Case key
- 67703
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 company maintenance personnel to install the upper pivot bolt through the pivot hole in the upper end of the landing gear actuating rod, and the company maintenance inspector's inadequate inspection of the work performed.
Findings · 4
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 when he was preparing to land at his destination, he found that the right main landing gear failed to extend. The pilot diverted back to the originating airport. Maintenance personnel discussed the problem with the pilot and various remedial actions were tried without success. The pilot declared an emergency, and landed with the right main gear retracted. During the recovery efforts, the airplane was jacked up in order to extend the right main landing gear, which locked in place. The airplane was then towed to a hangar. Examination revealed that the upper pivot bolt had not been installed through the pivot hole in the upper end of the actuating rod during recent maintenance. The mechanic who did the repair and the inspector who signed off the repair did not detect the discrepancy.
Factual narrative
On March 20, 2008, about 1026 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-31-350, N4098A, landed with the right main landing gear retracted at Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon. Ameriflight LLC was operating the airplane, owned by UAS Transervices, Inc., under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the aileron. The cross-country cargo flight departed Portland en route to Roseburg, Oregon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed.
The pilot was preparing to land at Roseburg when he noted that the right main landing gear failed to extend, which ground personnel confirmed during a flyby. The pilot diverted back to Portland. Ameriflight personnel alerted the tower at Portland that the airplane was returning, and would make an emergency landing with one main wheel retracted.
Maintenance personnel discussed the problem with the pilot; he tried various remedial actions without success. A flyby confirmed that the wheel remained retracted. The pilot declared an emergency, and landed; there was no fire, and no injuries. The right propeller, right flap, right wing outboard of wing station 190, and right aileron sustained damage.
During the recovery efforts, the airplane was jacked up in order to extend the right main landing gear, which locked in place. The airplane was then towed to a hangar.
Examination revealed that the upper pivot bolt had not been installed through the pivot hole in the upper end of the actuating rod during recent maintenance. The mechanic who did the repair and the inspector who signed off the repair did not detect the discrepancy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4098A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8152200
- Airframe hours
- 16,547
- Engines
- Lycoming TSIO-540-J2B, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TSIO-540-J2B, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Ameriflight LLC
- Registered owner
- UAS Transervices, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 1, 2008 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- PDX · Portland, OR
- Destination
- RBG · Roseburg, OR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PDX · Portland, runway 03, 7,001 × 150 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 300 in this make and model · 1,375 as pilot in command · 280 in the last 90 days · 110 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- PDX
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 N4098A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.