- Date
- July 16, 1993, 19:45 local (Jul 17, 1993, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Thermal, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8975YPiper PA-39
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930716024409A
- Case key
- 28428
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 pilot's inadvertent movement of the landing gear selector switch to the up position. A factor in the accident was the difference in cockpit switch layout between the PA23 and PA39 aircraft.
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 was taking a multi engine class certification check ride. The pilot examiner stated that the applicant pilot had been flying a Piper PA23-160 for his multi engine training. The PA23 cockpit is set up with the landing gear selector handle on the right side of the power quadrant and the flap selector on the left. The PA23 was in the maintenance shop and the applicant was given the Piper PA39 for his flight test. The PA39 cockpit is set up with the landing gear selector handle on the left side of the power quadrant and the flap selector on the right. The examiner stated that during the traffic pattern he personally checked that the landing gear handle was in the DOWN position, with three green indicator lights. The aircraft made a normal landing. The examiner said that during the landing roll out his attention was distracted momentarily by locating the radio microphone. When he looked up again, the examiner saw the aircraft settling down on the runway with the landing gear selector handle in the UP position. According to the pilot's statement, he said that he was reaching for the flap handle to retract the landing flaps and mistakenly moved the gear handle instead.
Factual narrative
On July 16, 1993, at 1945 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA39, N8975Y, sustained a complete landing gear collapse on the landing roll out at Thermal, California. The pilot, who was under going a multi engine land airplane class rating check ride, had intended to retract the flaps, however, moved the landing gear selector handle to the UP position instead. The aircraft was operated by Proflight, Inc., of Las Vegas, Nevada, and was rented by the pilot for the instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot and the designated pilot examiner were not injured. The flight originated at the Palm Springs, California, airport on the day of the mishap at about 1830 as a local area pilot certification check ride.
In a telephone interview, the pilot examiner stated that the applicant pilot had been flying a Piper PA23-160 for his multi engine training. The PA23 cockpit is set up with the landing gear selector handle on the right side of the power quadrant and the flap selector on the left. The PA23 was in the maintenance shop and the applicant was given the Piper PA39 for his flight test. The PA39 cockpit is set up with the landing gear selector handle on the left side of the power quadrant and the flap selector on the right.
The examiner stated that during the traffic pattern he personally checked that the landing gear handle was in the DOWN position, with three green indicator lights. The aircraft made a normal landing. The examiner said his attention was distracted momentarily by locating the radio microphone, and, when he looked up again, the aircraft was settling down on the runway with the landing gear selector handle in the UP position.
According to the pilot's statement, he said that he was reaching for the flap handle to retract the landing flaps and mistakenly moved the gear handle instead.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8975Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-39
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 39-141
- Airframe hours
- 4,334
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-C1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Proflight, Inc.
- Registered owner
- James Hossler & C. Wood
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 1993 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- PSP · Palm Springs, CA
- Airport
- TRM · Thermal, runway 30, 4,993 × 100 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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 313 total · 3 in this make and model · 131 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TRM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.