Piper PA-28R-200 N56598

Summary

On 21 December 2003 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N56598 was involved in an accident near Mountain Grove, Missouri, 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

21 December 2003 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mountain Grove, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Mountain Grove (1MO)

Coordinates

37.1208, -92.3111

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-200

Registration

N56598

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mountain Grove → Mountain Grove

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04LA048

Nobody was injured.

Improper use of the brakes during landing by the pilot, resulting in failure of the left main landing gear tire and a loss of directional control. Contributing factors were the failure of the main landing gear, as well as the grass and the ditch adjacent to the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was substantially damaged during landing when it departed the runway pavement and encountered a ditch. The pilot estimated the wind during the accident flight at five knots or less. He noted that the pre-takeoff brake check was normal and the takeoff was uneventful. The pilot stated that upon landing the aircraft began pulling to the left. He reported that he applied full right rudder and right brake. However, the aircraft began tracking toward the left side of the runway and subsequently departed the pavement. The aircraft encountered a small ditch and the left main landing gear collapsed. A local pilot reported observing the aircraft's approach and thought that it was slightly high and fast. She also recalled hearing one, louder than normal "chirp" of the tires on the runway during landing touchdown, leading her to think the pilot had made a "hard 3 point landing." The president of the flying club from which the pilot had rented the aircraft reported having a conversation concerning the accident with the pilot. He commented to the pilot that, during a crosswind landing situation in the model aircraft involved, it "would be easy to push with the toes to lock the brake." The pilot reportedly responded that "that was probably the case." A post-accident inspection revealed the left main landing gear had collapsed and damaged the left wing. The left main tire had a hole worn through the tread area. The brake system on the left main landing gear was examined. No anomalies consistent with a pre-impact failure were observed. The runway exhibited tire marks beginning approximately 1,400 feet from the threshold and continuing, virtually uninterrupted, to the point the aircraft departed the pavement. The marks in the grass continued from that point to the aircraft's resting position in the ditch. The initial skid mark was associated with the left main landing gear. It continued approximately 275 feet and paralleled the runway centerline. The mark was characterized by a single, continuous line with the exception of two short breaks. The skid mark produced by the left main gear tire changed to a set of two parallel marks characteristic of a flat tire. At this point, the mark indicated that the aircraft began tracking toward the left side of the runway and was continuous until it left the pavement. A single, continuous skid mark associated with the right main landing gear tire began about the time the aircraft started tracking to the left.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.