# NTSB WPR19LA098: Piper PA 24, N5028P, Reno, NV, March 17, 2019 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: March 17, 2019, 08:10 local (15:10 UTC) - Place: Reno, NV - Coordinates: 39.669998, -119.879997 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.6700&lon=-119.8800&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Piper Aircraft Company, Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 99141 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR19LA098 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/99141/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=99141 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19LA098 ## Probable cause Failure of the engine mount due to internal corrosion and wall thinning, which resulted in a loss of directional control and nose gear collapse during landing. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Landing gear system: nose/tail landing gear](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023220): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023220/cases.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 185 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023220/cases.md) - [Landing gear system: nose/tail landing gear](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023220): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Fatigue/wear/corrosion (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023220/cases.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 185 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023220/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis At the conclusion of an uneventful flight, the pilot verified that the landing gear were down and locked after he observed a green indication on the instrument panel. During landing, the airplane touched down normally on the main landing gear but veered left when the nose landing gear contacted the runway, and departed the runway edge. The left wing impacted an airport sign and the airplane spun to the left. As the airplane slid in gravel, the nose landing gear and right main landing gear collapsed, substantially damaging the airplane. The accident pilot purchased the airplane several months before the accident after the airplane had been parked mostly outside for 27 years. He flew the airplane about 15 hours before the accident flight. Postaccident examination of the nose landing gear revealed that the assembly was mostly intact except for the engine mount, which had failed where it supported the nose landing gear. The engine mount tubes displayed moderate to heavy corrosion deposits and wall thinning. The investigation could not determine the exact order in which the tubes failed; however, as the tubes were integral to the nose landing gear support, it is likely that the corrosion and wall thinning decreased the strength of the tubes and resulted in their failure when the nose landing gear was under load after touchdown. As the investigation did not find any preimpact anomalies with the nose landing gear steering system, the engine mount failure likely compromised the pilot's steering capabilities after touchdown before the collapse occurred. As the wear and corrosion on the tubes was mostly internal, it could not be determined whether the mechanic who most recently serviced the airplane would have recognized their condition. ## Factual narrative On March 17, 2019, about 0810 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24 airplane, N5028P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot extended the landing gear shortly after entering the traffic pattern for landing and observed a green indication, which confirmed that the landing gear was down and locked. The airplane touched down normally on the main landing gear, but after the nose landing gear contacted the runway surface, the airplane veered to the left. The pilot stated that he corrected the airplane's direction, but the airplane then began to veer right of the runway centerline. He used the airplane's hand brake to decelerate while he attempted to return the airplane to the runway centerline, and the airplane veered to the left again and departed the left runway edge. The left wing impacted a runway distance remaining sign and the airplane spun to the left. As the airplane began to slide on its right side in gravel, the nose landing gear and right main landing gear collapsed before the airplane came to rest near the edge of a taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the stabilator. Additionally, the engine mount, which attached to the nose landing gear, had fractured. According to logbook records, the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on October 23, 2018, at a total time of 3,563 flight hours. The preceding annual inspection was performed on March 3, 2011, at which time the airplane had accrued 3,545 flight hours. The airplane had accumulated about 15 total flight hours since its most recent inspection. According to the most recent annual inspection logbook entry, a gear retraction test was performed, and the gear warning horn was replaced. The mechanic who performed this service did not indicate if additional segments of the landing gear system were inspected. The mechanic who recently serviced the accident airplane reported that his father had owned the airplane since the 1980s. After 1991, the airplane was parked, likely outside, until 2010, when it received an annual inspection and completed a round-trip flight to Los Angeles, California. The airplane was then parked outside and did not fly again until October 2018 when the accident pilot purchased it. The engine mount connected both the nose landing gear and engine to the firewall, and the nose landing gear was connected to the engine mount through the oleo strut housing. Most of the nose landing gear assembly was intact with the exception of the left engine mount tubes, which were fractured. The tubes are represented in Figure 1 as 1, 2, 3, and 4 (the trunnion). According to a representative of the airplane manufacturer, this engine mount supported the nose landing gear. A visual inspection of the nose landing gear assembly showed that the nosebell crank and nosewheel steering rods were intact. Additionally, the shimmy dampener displayed a slight bend, but still provided resistance when actuated by hand. Figure 1: Nose Landing Gear Engine Mount Tubes and Trunnion Portions of the engine mount were submitted to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for analysis. Each engine mount fracture surface was non-planar and rough, consistent with overstress. Moderate to heavy corrosion products were observed on the inner surfaces of each tube and several tubes displayed evidence of wall thinning from the internal corrosion. The exact order that the tubes failed could not be determined. Figure 2: Location of Mount Fractures on NLG Assembly ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5028P](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5028P-2022-03-05), registration cancelled 2022-03-05, S/N 24-31, built 1958 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA 24 (Undesignat) - Registry model: [Piper PA-24](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24) (registry code 7102402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-31 - Year built: 1958 - Airframe hours: 3578 - Engines: Lycoming O-360-A1A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 23, 2018, 15 hours before - Departed: CXP, Carson City, NV - Destination: RTS, Reno, NV - Airport: RTS, Reno/Stead, runway 26, 7,608 × 150 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 65; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review January 24, 2019; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 304 total, 14 in this make and model, 270 as pilot in command, 11 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 28 °F, dew point 23 °F - Altimeter: 30.20 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20190317001579A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190317001579A), Mar 17, 2019: Piper PA-24, Reno, NV, Substantial damage. When landing, the pilot stated he initially touched down on the main landing gear. When the nose wheel touched the runway, the aircraft veered to the left of… ## Docket (10 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 20, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=99141. 11.9 MB in all. - Materials laboratory factual report (item 1, PDF, 14 pages, 12 photos, 1.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9896856&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=20-018%20Materials%20Lab%20Factual%20Report%20for%20WPR19LA098-Rel.pdf - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 2, PDF, 9 pages, 4.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9564850&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Weather reports and records (item 3, PDF, 3 pages, 69 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9573779&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=MOR%20Weather-Rel.pdf - Record of conversations (item 4, PDF, 3 pages, 62 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9575043&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Record%20of%20conversations-Rel.pdf - NTSB examination report (item 5, PDF, 10 pages, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13628168&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Exam%20Report-Rel.pdf - Excerpt from aircraft logbooks (item 6, PDF, 4 pages, 1.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9574337&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=aircraft%20logs_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Excerpt from service manual (item 7, PDF, 2 pages, 337 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9573878&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=excerpt%20from%20service%20manual-Rel.pdf - Statement of party representatives to NTSB investigation (item 8, PDF, 1 page, 232 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13641888&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Party%20Form%20-%20WPR19LA098%20-%20Piper_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 9, PDF, 1 page, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9574352&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Release_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Accident photographs (item 10, PDF, 3 pages, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=13628319&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Accident%20Photographs-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.