Piper PA-34-200T N1494X

Summary

On 27 July 2009 at about 15:30 local time, a Piper PA-34-200T registered N1494X, operated by Air Transport Inc., was involved in an accident near Mount Holly, New Jersey, 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

27 July 2009 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mount Holly, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

South Jersey Regional Airport (VAY)

Coordinates

39.9389, -74.8406

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200T

Registration

N1494X

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Air Transport Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Princeton → Mount Holly

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA427

Nobody was injured.

A hard landing on an unknown date, resulting in damage to the left main landing gear support fitting.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to departure, the pilot asked the director of maintenance (DOM) to look at the landing gear switches on the airplane as the in-transit light was remaining illuminated. The DOM examined both main gear switches and cleaned the left main landing gear as it had mud and dirt on it. On previous flights, as well as the flight before the accident, the pilot also observed that the gear unsafe light had remained illuminated until the landing gear was lowered and retracted. During the accident flight, when the landing gear was retracted, the gear unsafe light remained illuminated. This time when the pilot arrived at his destination, and extended the landing gear, the left main landing gear down light would not illuminate. The pilot then retracted and extended the landing gear and the light still would not illuminate. He then retracted and lowered the landing gear several times until finally after a short and unusual delay, the left main landing gear down light illuminated. Postaccident examination of fragments of the left forward main landing gear support fitting revealed that it failed in overstress possibly as a result of a hard landing. The landing gear had shifted from its normal mounting position and the main spar had been damaged. Maintenance records revealed that 6.9 hours after a scheduled 50 hour service unscheduled maintenance was performed. Both main tires and tubes were replaced and the wheel bearings were cleaned, inspected, and repacked. A review of the airplane's maintenance records, and daily flight log did not reveal the entry of any discrepancies that accounted for the unscheduled maintenance to replace the tires and tubes or the mud on the gear switches. Furthermore, none of the repetitive gear problems which had been reported by the pilot prior to the accident had been entered into the maintenance records nor had any corrective actions been entered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.