- Date
- June 19, 2022, 17:00 local (Jun 20, 2022, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Red Bluff, CA · airport environment
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4383DPiper PA-32R-301T
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 105460
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 pilot’s failure to detect the tripped landing gear motor circuit breaker, which prevented the gear from fully locking in the down position, and subsequent collapse during landing.
Findings · 1
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
The pilot of the retractable gear airplane reported that, while conducting a practice instrument approach, he felt the gear go down and thought that he saw three green landing gear lights, and no gear unsafe indicator light. The main landing gear touched down and the nose dropped down lower than normal. The propeller struck the ground and the left main gear collapsed. The airplane received substantial damage to the left aileron. According to the pilot, a mechanic discovered the landing gear motor circuit breaker had popped, which disabled the landing gear from fully extending and lock in the down position and disabled the warning light system. Once the circuit breaker was reset, the landing gear functioned normally.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4383D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-301T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-8529004
- Airframe hours
- 3,155.8
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-5IAO, 300 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2022
- Departed
- WHP · San Fernando, CA
- Destination
- RBL · Red Bluff, CA
- Airport
- RBL · Red Bluff Muni, runway 33, 5,431 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 23, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 464.9 total · 147.9 in this make and model · 464.9 as pilot in command · 14.5 in the last 90 days · 7.4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 30, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 MB in all.