Piper PA-28-201T N47589

Summary

On 21 January 2011 at about 21:57 local time, a Piper PA-28-201T registered N47589, operated by Employ/Ease Inc., was involved in an accident near Santa Ana, California, 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

21 January 2011 at 21:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Ana, California, United States

Nearest airport

John Wayne (SNA)

Coordinates

33.6789, -117.8650

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-201T

Registration

N47589

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Employ/Ease Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → Santa Ana

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA108

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the left main landing gear due to the lack of lubrication.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, when he put the landing gear down, he did not receive an indication in the cockpit that the nosewheel was engaged. He recycled the landing gear but still did not receive an indication that the gear was engaged. He then flew by the air traffic control tower and the controller reported that the landing gear appeared to be down; however, on the landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that components of the main landing gear retraction system lacked recent lubrication. The grease fittings on the components had been painted over, and there was no evidence of grease on the movable parts. The landing gear’s ball joints and movable surfaces all appeared to be dry. The lack of lubrication prevented the left main landing gear from locking in the down position, resulting in its collapse during the landing roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.