- Date
- April 26, 1998, 13:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Fruitland Park, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N154CHPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980426007649A
- Case key
- 38509
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
the pilot's failure to attain the proper rate of descent at touchdown.
Analysis
After a report of a normal touchdown on the grass runway, the right main landing gear fork and rod assembly failed. The right wing dropped, contacted the runway, and the airplane veered to the right and collided with obstructions. Metallurgical examination of the failed fork and rod assembly, and AN bolt, revealed that the fork failed due to overstress and the bolt failed in shear. No preexisting cracks were noted in the failed fork or bolt.
Factual narrative
On April 26, 1998, about 1340 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23-250, N154CH, registered to Caesair, Inc., experienced failure of the right main landing gear on landing at the Flying Palomino Ranch Airstrip, near Fruitland Park, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot and two passengers were not injured. The flight originated about 1315, from the Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Florida.
The pilot stated that after a normal touchdown, the right wing dropped and the airplane veered to the right. He applied full left rudder input, but the airplane veered to the right and collided with metal objects on the ground, adjacent to the runway, then collided with a fence and fence poles.
Examination of the right main landing gear revealed that the right main landing gear fork and rod assembly was failed. Additionally, an AN bolt, which when installed is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the airplane and is located near the fracture surface of the fork, was also failed. The failed fork and rod assembly and AN bolt, along with a plug, were sent to the NTSB Metallurgy Laboratory in Washington, DC, for examination.
Metallurgical examination of the failed fork and rod assembly revealed no evidence of preexisting cracks. The fracture features were typical of an overstress. Examination of the failed AN bolt revealed it was bent and the fracture surface was flat on a transverse plane 90 degrees to the longitudinal direction of the bolt. No evidence of preexisting cracks were noted.
The airplane, minus the retained failed right main landing gear fork and rod assembly, failed AN bolt, and plug, was released to the owner on May 8, 1998. The retained components were released to Mr. Steve Pulak, of Sample International, Inc., on June 24, 1998.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N154CH
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7305191
- Airframe hours
- 2,027
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-C1A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Caesair, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 24, 1997 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- MCO · Orlando, FL
- Destination
- 5X1
- Airport
- 5X1 · Flying Palomino Ranch, runway 27, 2,500 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,018 total · 380 in this make and model · 930 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LEE, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.