- Date
- March 21, 2008, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Inverness, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N730FTPiper PA-44-180
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 68064
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 student pilot's improper landing flare and the flight examiner's inadequate remedial action.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During taxi, the "gear unsafe" light illuminated and would not extinguish. After the unsafe indication was reported to the operator, maintenance personnel discovered that the nose landing gear support structure including both the left and right gear well webs, were substantially damaged. According to the check pilot of a previous flight, he was giving a flight examination for a multiengine rating when during a landing, the student pilot landed hard and the right main landing gear tire "burst." The student and check pilot were unable to maintain directional control, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and the nose landing gear "dug in to the soft ground." A company mechanic replaced the right main landing gear tire as it "blew on landing." The right main landing gear was inspected after the runway excursion; however, no record of the nose gear being inspected was discovered.
Factual narrative
On May 21, 2008 the National Transportation Safety Board was notified by the operator of a PA-44-180, that it had experienced a hard landing on March 21, 2008. Interviews with flight instructors, who had flown the airplane, revealed that the damage was discovered on April 30, 2008, when during taxi the "gear unsafe" light illuminated, and would not extinguish. After the unsafe indication was reported to the operator, maintenance personnel discovered that the nose landing gear support structure including both the left and right gear well webs, were substantially damaged. Interviews with company personnel revealed that the airplane had been involved in a runway excursion during a checkride on March 21, 2008. According to the check pilot of the accident flight, he was giving a flight examination for a multiengine rating when during a landing, the student pilot landed hard and the right main landing gear tire "burst." The student and check pilot were unable to maintain directional control and the airplane departed the right side of the runway and the nose landing gear "dug in to the soft ground." Interviews with company personnel and review of maintenance records also revealed that a mechanic was flown to the airport where the runway excursion occurred, and the right main landing gear tire was replaced as it "blew on landing." The right main landing gear was inspected after the runway excursion; however, no record of the nose gear being inspected was discovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N730FT
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 447995190
- Airframe hours
- 5,953
- Engines
- Lycoming O-360-E1A6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming LO-360-E1A6D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Orlando Flight Training
- Registered owner
- Abraxas Aircraft Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 1, 2008
- Departed
- ISM · Kissimee, FL
- Destination
- X40 · Inverness, FL
- Airport
- X40 · Inverness Airport, runway 01, 3,762 × 60 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 71 total · 5 in this make and model
- Role
- Check pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Foreign, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,400 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- BKV, 22 nm away
Other investigations on N730FT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.