Piper PA46-500TP N5365D

Summary

On 9 January 2011 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA46-500TP registered N5365D, operated by Craig S. Gaylord, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, 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

9 January 2011 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor Internation (KPHX)

Coordinates

33.4342, -112.0114

Aircraft

Piper PA46-500TP

Registration

N5365D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Craig S. Gaylord

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reno → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11FA093

Nobody was injured.

The pilot did not maintain directional control during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was low nosewheel tire pressure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, during the landing roll, the airplane veered right concurrent with him placing the propeller into reverse. The pilot attempted to realign the airplane with the runway, but it exited the right side of the paved surface. During the runway excursion, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing contacted the ground. Postaccident examination of the nose landing gear steering assembly revealed no anomalies; the nose landing gear steering travel and rake angle were within manufacturer’s prescribed limits. Examination of the 8-ply nose landing gear tire revealed that the tire was underinflated at 43 psi, whereas the manufacturer’s recommended pressure is 70 psi. According to a Customer Information Letter that addressed nose landing gear steering concerns, the manufacturer stated that a nosewheel tire inflated to 70 psi allowed better steering control forces and warned that an underinflated tire could increase forces associated with steering. The pilot reported that he did not check the tire inflation pressure during the preflight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.