- Date
- October 10, 2001, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Philadelphia, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N91284Piper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 1, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20011010032019A
- Case key
- 53597
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 collapse of the right main landing gear for undetermined reasons.
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 and flight instructor were conducting a VFR training flight, and had completed the departure and en route portions without incident. Once in the terminal area, the tower advised the pilot to enter a right base for runway 24. The pilot lowered the landing gear, and verbalized it was down with "three in the green" and "one in the mirror." The instructor looked at the landing gear indicator, and confirmed the gear was down and locked. The instructor called for the "prelanding checklist," and the pilot confirmed it was complete. The airplane was cleared to land. On short final, the instructor called out mixture rich, propellers full forward, and landing gear down with "three green." The airplane touched down and the instructor commented to the pilot, "nice landing." The right main landing gear then collapsed, and the airplane veered to the right. The right wing struck a runway light, and the nose gear collapsed. The airplane came to a stop up right with the left main landing gear still down and locked. The instructor along with the pilot exited the airplane. Examination of the right main landing gear revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions. In addition, a witness saw the nose wheel, along with the left and right main landing gear in the down position when the airplane landed.
Factual narrative
On October 10, 2001, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-34-200T, N91284, was substantially damaged during landing at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The certificated flight instructor and commercial pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight that departed Perkiomen Valley Airport (N10), Collegeville, Pennsylvania. No flight plan was filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the flight instructor, the tower advised them to enter a right base for runway 24. The pilot reduced the airspeed, and added one notch of flaps. He then lowered the landing gear, and verbalized it was down with "three in the green" and "one in the mirror." The instructor looked at the landing gear indicator, and confirmed that the gear was down and locked. The instructor called for the "prelanding checklist," and the pilot confirmed it was complete.
The tower cleared the airplane to land. On short final, the instructor called out mixture rich, propellers full forward, and landing gear down with "three green." The airplane touched down and everything seemed normal. The instructor even commented to the pilot, "nice landing." While the airplane was rolling-out, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered to the right. The instructor stepped on the left rudder in an attempt to maintain directional control. The right wing struck a runway light, and the nose gear collapsed. The airplane came to a stop, and the instructor along with the pilot exited under their own power.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the airplane came to rest with the left main landing gear down and locked. Examination of the right main landing gear revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions.
According to a witness, the nose wheel, along with the left and right main landing gear were down when the airplane landed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91284
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7970111
- Airframe hours
- 4,900
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Air King International INC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 3, 2001 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- N10 · Collegeville, PA
- Destination
- PNE · Philadelphia, PA
- Airport
- PNE · Northeast Philadelphia, runway 24, 7,000 × 150 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- January 23, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 9,800 total · 1,800 in this make and model · 9,306 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- September 27, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 836 total · 636 in this make and model · 563 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.38 inHg
- Observed at
- PNE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.