Piper PA-34-200 N41632
10 April 1992 · Tucson, Arizona, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 April 1992 at about 20:46 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 registered N41632, operated by ATC Flight Center, Inc., was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, United States. 2 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 20:46
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona, United States
- Nearest airport
- Tucson International (TUS)
- Coordinates
- 32.1508, -110.9298
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200
- Registration
- N41632
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- ATC Flight Center, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX92LA171
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
THE TOTAL FAILURE OF THE LANDING GEAR STRUT (TRUNNION) DUE TO FATIGUE. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS RELATED TO THE INADEQUATELY PERFORMED RECENT ANNUAL INSPECTION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND, WHO WAS DEMONSTRATING HER COMPETENCY TO THE DESIGNATED PILOT EXAMINER FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING HER MULTIENGINE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATE, NO ANOMALIES OCCURRED WITH THE AIRPLANE DURING THE FLIGHT. THE LANDING APPEARED NORMAL EXCEPT THAT DURING ROLLOUT THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED LIGHT TURNED OFF. THE GEAR WARNING HORN SOUNDED AND THE LEFT GEAR BROKE OFF THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE, IT VEER OFF THE RUNWAY, AND THEN COLLIDED WITH A SIGN. EXAM OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR REVEALED IT POSSESSED A PREEXISTING FATIGUE CRACK ON THE TRUNNION'S OUTER DIAMETER SURFACE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE LOWER FILLET RADIUS OF THE WEB. THE CRACK HAD ENLARGED TO A WIDTH OF 1.25 INCHES BEFORE THE TRUNNION FINALLY SEPARATED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE'S LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN PERFORMED ABOUT 53 FLIGHT HOURS AND ABOUT 1.5 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-34 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 1992 | Piper PA-34-200T | Lamar, Colorado, United States | Lyddon Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1992 | Piper PA-34-200T | Bedford, Massachusetts, United States | Edward Walter | No injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 1992 | Piper PA-34-200T | Coatesville, Pennsylvania, United States | Richard Devaney | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1992 | Piper PA-34-220T | Madison, Wisconsin, United States | Joseph T. Steuer | No injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 1992 | Piper PA-34-200 | Tifton, Georgia, United States | Clinton Aircraft Leasing | No injuries | - |
| 25 Apr 1992 | Piper PA-34-200 | Van Nuys, California, United States | Falcon Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 1992 | Helio HST-550A | Salome, Arizona, United States | Maytag, David D. JR. | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Nov 1992 | Cessna 404 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | U. S. Customs Service | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 1992 | Boeing 757-222 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | United Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 1992 | Cessna 170B | Prescott, Arizona, United States | Darrah, LEE | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1992 | Cessna 150M | Three Points, Arizona, United States | Genzman, Dennis W. | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 1992 | Beechcraft F33A | Payson, Arizona, United States | Steering Committee Corp. | Fatal | 2 |