- Date
- April 17, 1990, 11:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Paso Robles, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4387SPiper PA46
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900417010319A
- Case key
- 26780
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
Inadequate altitude for proper landing gear extension; not ensuring the landing gear was down and locked; complacency of the certified flight instructor.
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
According to statements from all three individuals on board, upon arriving in the vicinity of Paso Robles airport at about 5,800 feet above the airport, the instructor shut down the engine to simulate an engine failure. The pilot being trained was instructed to glide the aircraft to a safe landing at the airport. During the simulated emergency descent, the pilot being trained asked several times if the gear should not be extended until the turn from base to final was being made. The witnesses aboard the aircraft further stated that on short final, at a very low altitude, the gear was lowered using the emergency gear extension procedure. The left main gear did not fully extend and lock into position prior to the aircraft touching down on the runway. On touchdown, the left main gear collapsed, causing the left wing to collide with the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4387S
- Reported as
- Piper PA46
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46-8508042
- Engine
- Continental TSIO 520 BE, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Piper Aircraft Corp.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- SMX · Santa Maria, CA
- Airport
- PRB · Paso Robles Muni, runway 31, 4,700 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 11,020 total · 367 in this make and model · 11,020 as pilot in command · 103 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.