Piper PA-46-350P N90SE

Summary

On 30 September 2010 at about 22:55 local time, a Piper PA-46-350P registered N90SE, operated by Garco Equipment Co, was involved in an accident near Spokane, Washington, United States. 5 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

30 September 2010 at 22:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Spokane, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Felts Field (SFF)

Coordinates

47.6828, -117.3225

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-350P

Registration

N90SE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Garco Equipment Co

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richland → Spokane

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10LA479

Nobody was injured.

The failure of a manufacturing splice of the right main landing gear tire’s inner tube, which resulted in a deflated tire and a consequent loss of directional control on landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, after a normal touchdown the airplane began a skidding turn to the right. The pilot was unable to keep the airplane on the runway and it struck a runway light during the runway excursion, which occurred as a result of a deflated tire on the right main landing gear. On-scene examination revealed that the valve of the tire's inner tube had separated from the tube. The left main landing gear tire was found to be properly inflated, the tread depth on both the left and right main landing gear tires was sufficient, and neither the left nor the right main landing gear tires exhibited any indications of abnormal wear. The pilot indicated that the right tire and tube were replaced about 17 months before the accident and that they had accumulated about 295 hours and 107 cycles in service. The tube was manufactured about 1 year prior to its installation. Examination of the tube and the recovered valve revealed that a small area of a manufacturing splice had opened, which permitted the tube to deflate. The deflated tire then slipped on the wheel during landing, which separated the valve from the tube body. The tube manufacturer did not provide any reasons for the splice failure. Neither the root cause nor the exact timing of the splice failure could be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.