- Date
- November 2, 1995, 20:48 local (Nov 3, 1995, 01:48 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N33309Piper PA-28R-201T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951102044579A
- Case key
- 37937
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 failure to follow procedures, resulting in the airplane being landed with the landing gear in the up position.
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 stated the landing gear collapsed on landing touchdown. Examination of the airplane by the FAA and maintenance personnel revealed the landing gear was in the up position when the airplane collided with the runway.
Factual narrative
On November 2, 1995, about 2048 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28R-210T, N3306Q, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, landed gear up at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The private pilot and one passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated from the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, about 48 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated he lowered the landing gear and verified that he had three green lights. He touched down on the right main landing gear and the landing gear collapsed.
Maintenance personnel from Banyan Air Service responded to the crash site to recover N3306Q. Examination of the airplane revealed the airplane was resting on the outside sidewalls of the main landing gear, and on the nose section. The nose gear doors were in the closed position. The airplane was jacked up and the landing gear emergency extension lever was engaged. The landing gear extended to the locked position. Further examination of the landing gear system by the FAA and Banyan Air Service maintenance personnel revealed scrape marks present on the outside surfaces of the nose gear landing gear doors. Examination of the left and right main landing gear tires revealed the outside sidewalls of both tires were scuffed. There was no damage to the left or right wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33309
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201T (PA-28R-201)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7703100
- Airframe hours
- 2,797
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB3, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William E. Racik
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 19, 1995 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- FXE
- Airport
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale Executive, runway 8, 6,001 × 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
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,750 total · 936 in this make and model · 1,710 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.