- Date
- April 8, 1986, 12:32 local (19:32 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3872EPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860408010719A
- Case key
- 25113
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Nose gear collapsed
Flare - improperCause
Landing gear,nose gear - overload
Design stress limits of aircraft - exceededCause
Loss of control - on ground/water
Analysis
The pilot lost control of the aircraft which traveled off the runway following a nose gear collapse during landing. Examination of the aircraft revealed evidence of side loading.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3872E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7654197
- Airframe hours
- 627
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-61A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Roger Dunkley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1985 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- DUT · Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- FF2 · Mesa, AZ
- Airport
- FFZ · Falcon Field, runway 22, 5,100 × 100 ft, asphalt
N3872ERegistration cancelled Apr 2, 2013 · Piper PA-23-250Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 series
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 1,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FF2
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.