Piper PA-34-200T N31856
11 November 1983 · Houston, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 November 1983 at about 22:46 local time, a Piper PA-34-200T registered N31856, operated by Howard Aviation, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:46
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Andrau (AAP)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Registration
- N31856
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Howard Aviation
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Georgetown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW84LA056
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Probable cause
The landing gear normal brake system was inoperative due to inadequate maintenance service of aircraft by other maintenance personnel.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PLTS OF 4 ACFT BACK TAXIED SOUTH ON RWY 16/34 TO TAKEOFF TO THE NORTH OF RWY 34. AT THE SOUTH END OF THE RWY, THE 1ST 3 ACFT HAD TURNED OFF ONTO A RUN-UP AREA & THE 1ST PLT HAD TAXIED INTO THE TAKEOFF POSITION WHEN THE 4TH ACFT ARRIVED. WHEN THE 4TH ACFT, PIPER PA-34, N31856, APPROACHED THE TURNOFF POINT, THE PLT APPLIED THE WHEEL BRAKES & DISCOVERED THE LEFT BRAKE TO BE INEFFECTIVE. HE RELEASED THE RIGHT BRAKE & UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO USE DIFFERENTIAL POWER & NOSEWHEEL STEERING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND AVOID A COLLISION. HIS RIGHT WING TIP SCRAPED THE RIGHT WING TIP OF CESSNA 414, N711RT, CAUSING ONLY MINOR DAMAGE. AFTER CLEARING THE CESSNA, THE RIGHT WING OF N31856 IMPACTED THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING OF BEECH 95-B55, N25631. N31856 THEN SPUN AROUND & ITS PROPELLERS HIT THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE BEECH'S RIGHT WING & RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO BOTH ACFT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR FOR THE LEFT BRAKE WAS EMPTY. AFTER SERVICING, IT OPERATED NORMALLY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-34-200T PA-34-200T | N31856 | Howard Aviation | Substantial |
| Beechcraft 95-B55 95-B55 | N25631 | - | Substantial |
| Cessna 414A 414A | N711RT | - | Minor |
Other Piper PA-34 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 1983 | Piper PA-34-200T | Woodruff, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 1983 | Piper PA-34-200T | Seattle, Washington, United States | Airpac Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 1983 | Piper PA-34-200T | Stover, Missouri, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 26 May 1983 | Piper PA-34-200T | Muscle Shoals, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Feb 1983 | Piper PA-34-220T | Pickens, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Feb 1983 | Piper PA-34-200T | Ahoskie, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 1983 | Douglas DC-8-63F | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1983 | Cessna 140 | Hitchcock, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 1983 | Aero Commander S2R | Katy, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1983 | Grumman G-164B | East Bernard, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1983 | Boeing 727-223B | Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas, United States | American Airlines, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1983 | Cessna 152 | Killeen, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |