- Date
- April 6, 1998, 10:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8269APiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980406005939A
- Case key
- 38491
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 the O-rings in the landing gear hydraulic cylinder.
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 smelled a fragrance similar to solvent in cruise flight. A short time later, the gear warning light illuminated, went out, repeated the sequence, and then remained on continuously. The tower was made aware of the situation and a flyby was conducted. Attempts to lower all three landing gear with a safe gear indication was unsuccessful. On landing rollout the left main landing gear collapsed. Examination revealed that the left main landing gear would not fully extend. The O-rings in the hydraulic cylinder failed, and hydraulic fluid had leaked out.
Factual narrative
On April 6, 1998, about 1015 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N8269A, registered to N8269A Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight experienced an unsafe landing gear condition (red landing gear warning light), about 140 nautical miles east of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The left main landing gear indicated an unsafe condition, and collapsed on landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The private pilot and one passenger reported no injuries. The flight originated about 2 hours 5 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated in an interview with the FAA that while in cruise flight they smelled a fragrance similar to solvent. A short time later, the gear unsafe light illuminated, went out, repeated the sequence, and then remained on continuously. The Fort Lauderdale control tower was made aware of the situation and a fly-by was conducted. The tower informed the pilot that all three gears were down; however, the unsafe gear warning light remained illuminated. Yaw inputs, G-loading, and another fly-by was conducted with negative results. An approach to runway 08 was conducted. The left main landing gear collapsed on landing rollout, and the airplane collided with a runway light.
On-scene examination of the airplane revealed the left main landing gear would not fully extend. The O-rings in the hydraulic cylinder failed, and the hydraulic fluid had leaked out.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8269A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 2,468
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-E-CB, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- David C. Salter
- Registered owner
- N862a Inc.
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 10, 1997 · 59 hours before
- Departed
- MYEM · Eleuthera, OF
- Destination
- FXE · FL
- Airport
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale Executive, runway 6, 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
- 66
- 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
- 3,800 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 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.