Piper PA-31 N27518

Summary

On 2 July 1996 at about 13:30 local time, a Piper PA-31 registered N27518 was involved in an accident near Jackson, Wyoming, 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.

Date

2 July 1996 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Jackson, Wyoming, United States

Nearest airport

Jackson Hole (JAC)

Coordinates

43.4691, -110.7606

Aircraft

Piper PA-31

Registration

N27518

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salt Lake City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA96LA140

Nobody was injured.

An improper screw installation by an unknown individual into the instrument panel, which restricted movement of the gear handle resulting in premature disengagement of the normal landing gear extension system. A factor was one or more improperly adjusted nose gear system components, which resulted in an unlocked nose gear that falsely indicated down and locked.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a normal landing, the aircraft's nose gear collapsed. The pilots stated that three green indicator lights were observed during the final landing checklist. In postaccident troubleshooting, an instrument panel mounting screw which was too long was discovered. This screw was obstructing the movement of the landing gear selector handle to a full down position, allowing it to return prematurely to neutral (which removes hydraulic pressure from the gear system.) The nose gear was thus not hydraulically moved over center and was unlocked, even though the nose gear indicated down and locked in this configuration. Per the aircraft service manual, the nose gear linkage incorporates a downlock spring, and both gear linkage overcenter travel and gear down limit switch position are adjustable. It was not determined whether, or when, these items were checked or adjusted before the accident. After the proper screw was installed in the instrument panel, the gear operated properly in retraction tests.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.