Piper PA-31-350 N354AC
29 November 1991 · Denver, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 29 November 1991 at about 10:05 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N354AC, operated by Alpine Air, Inc., was involved in an accident near Denver, Colorado, 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 10:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Stapleton International (DEN)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350
- Registration
- N354AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Alpine Air, Inc.
- 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
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- DEN92LA012
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
A FALSE UNSAFE LANDING GEAR INDICATION DUE TO A FROZEN DOWN LOCK SWITCH. FACTORS WERE: ICING CONDITIONS AND LOW CEILINGS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING THE APPROACH, THE PILOT COULD NOT OBTAIN A GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED INDICATION ON THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR. HE ELECTED TO LAND GEAR UP WHICH CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE. POSTACCIDENT TESTS REVEALED THAT THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DOWN LOCK SWITCH HAD FROZEN FROM AN ACCUMULATION OF ICE. WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE TIME INCLUDED ICING, LOW CEILINGS AND LOW VISIBILITY. PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT REPORTED ACCUMULATIONS OF MODERATE ICE. FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, ICE ACCUMULATION OF UP TO 3 INCHES WAS FOUND ON THE AIRCRAFT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Top Flight Air Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-31-B-310 | Fernandina Bch, Florida, United States | Island Aviation Services, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Aug 1991 | Piper PA-31-310 | Byron, California, United States | Ricardo Barbera | No injuries | - |
| 7 Feb 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Munford, Alabama, United States | MacOn Horizons, Inc | Fatal | 4 |
| 15 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Nome, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 1991 | Piper PA-31-350 | Nagua, Dominican Republic | Avionca C, POR A | Unknown | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 1991 | Enstrom F-28C | Evergreen, Colorado, United States | James B. Highbanks | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1991 | Cessna 172M | Erie, Colorado, United States | Tri-County Flight School | No injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 1991 | Piper PA-18-150 | Telluride, Colorado, United States | Christopher Carroll | No injuries | - |
| 30 Oct 1991 | Piper PA-24-250 | Ellicott, Colorado, United States | Southwest Aircraft Recovery | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 1991 | Piper PA-28-161 | Greeley, Colorado, United States | P.c. Flyers | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 1991 | Cessna 172N | Boulder, Colorado, United States | Dakota Ridge Aviation | No injuries | - |