Piper PA-44-180 N3042C
20 May 2001 · Brooksville, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 May 2001 at about 14:45 local time, a Piper PA-44-180 registered N3042C, operated by Clearwater Aviation, was involved in an accident near Brooksville, Florida, United States. 3 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 14:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Brooksville, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Hernando County (BKV)
- Coordinates
- 28.4793, -82.4206
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180
- Registration
- N3042C
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Clearwater Aviation
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Brooksville → St. Petersburg
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL01LA058
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The fatigue failure of the left main landing gear strut that resulted in collapse of the landing gear.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During the takeoff roll the pilot noticed the aircraft pulling to the left. He aborted takeoff, reduced power and as the pilot applied brakes the left main landing gear collapsed. Examination of the gear strut cylinder revealed fatigue cracks originating from multiple locations on opposite sides of the bolt hole located on the forward side of the cylinder. Microscopic examination of the bolt hole revealed that the surface of the bolt hole was roughly machined. The total fatigue region occupied about 35 percent of the cross section of the cylinder.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 2001 | Piper PA-44-180 | Osteen, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Aug 2002 | Piper PA-44-180 | Lake Vossemeer, Netherlands | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 30 May 2000 | Piper PA-44-180T | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Aspen Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 2000 | Piper PA-44-180 | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Jun 2000 | Piper PA-44-180T | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Aspen Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2000 | Piper PA-44-180 | Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Mar 2001 | Enstrom F-28C | Orlando, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Nov 2001 | Robinson R-22 | Bunnell, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Nov 2001 | Cessna 177 | Gainesville, Florida, United States | Thomas W. Norton | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Nov 2001 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA300/L | St. Augustine, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 2001 | Boeing 737-200 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2001 | Beechcraft C90 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |