Piper PA-46-310P N189ET

Summary

On 26 April 2003 at about 19:25 local time, a Piper PA-46-310P registered N189ET, operated by James Allen, was involved in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States. 4 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

26 April 2003 at 19:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Grand Canyon National Park Air (GCN)

Coordinates

35.9522, -112.1469

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-310P

Registration

N189ET

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

James Allen

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → Grand Canyon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03LA196

Nobody was injured.

The out of rig condition of the landing gear control linkages, which prevented the on-ground antiretraction safety device from working. Also causal was the pilot's inadvertent movement of the gear selector to the up position while taxiing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot inadvertently raised the landing gear lever during taxi. The pilot reported that while taxiing after a good approach and landing, he raised the flaps, lowered the speed brakes, turned off the landing lights, and switched off the transponder. After the lever was raised, both the nose and right main landing gear collapsed immediately. The airplane came to rest on the left main gear, nose, and right wing. The systems description section of the Federal Aviation Administration approved Pilot Operating Handbook for the airplane was reviewed concerning the landing gear operating system. The cockpit control lever is mechanically linked to the hydraulic sequence valve, which is aft of the rear baggage compartment. A spring loaded electrically operated solenoid gate physically prevents the landing gear handle from being moved out of the down detent when weight is on the landing gear. The solenoid is energized to retract and allow the cockpit gear handle to move when a squat switch on the left main gear strut senses strut extension (liftoff). After the accident, and during repair of the airplane, the landing gear system was examined by Hov-Air, Inc., a maintenance repair facility familiar with the PA-46. The repair shop found that the cockpit gear handle and its linkage (to the hydraulic sequence valve) was out of rigging tolerance. Specifically, the rigging would not allow the gear selector lever handle to be in the full down position where the solenoid gate would block handle movement.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.