Piper PA-28RT-201T N8320H

Summary

On 18 November 2010 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201T registered N8320H, operated by Stick Larry G, was involved in an accident near Spring, Texas, 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

18 November 2010 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Spring, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

David Wayne Hooks Memorial (DWH)

Coordinates

30.0619, -95.5528

Aircraft

Piper PA-28RT-201T

Registration

N8320H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Stick Larry G

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Spring → Horseshoe Bay

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11CA103

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the right landing gear down-lock mechanism to fully engage. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inability to verify the landing gear extension due to the inoperative alternator.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after departure the airplane experienced an electrical failure. The pilot elected to return to his departure airport for landing. He performed an emergency landing gear extension; however, with no electrical power remaining, he could not verify that the landing gear was down and locked via the gear position lights. Seconds after the airplane touched down on the runway, the right landing gear collapsed. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control and the airplane departed the right side of the runway and impacted a runway light, coming to rest in an upright and right-wing-low position adjacent to the runway. The airplane’s right wing spar and right aileron were substantially damaged during the accident. An examination of the right landing gear revealed that the downlock mechanism had not fully engaged, thus resulting in its collapse. The electrical failure was due to an inoperative alternator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.