Piper PA-44-180 N5367Y
30 July 2013 · Billings, Montana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 July 2013 at about 17:43 local time, a Piper PA-44-180 registered N5367Y, operated by Rocky Mountain College, was involved in an accident near Billings, Montana, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 17:43
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Billings, Montana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Billings Logan International (BIL)
- Coordinates
- 45.8075, -108.5428
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180
- Registration
- N5367Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Rocky Mountain College
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Billings → Billings
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR13LA349
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilots’ inadequate landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the left main landing gear.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor and commercial pilot reported that they were conducting a training flight and that, after performing numerous maneuvers in the local practice area, they returned to the airport to perform practice landings in various simulated situations. After an uneventful takeoff and landing, they set up for a practice short-field landing. Following the landing flare, the airplane touched down on the runway surface, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The propellers contacted the runway, and the airplane skidded, which resulted in damage to the wing spar. Examinations revealed that the left main landing gear was fractured through the lower end of the strut tube, which was bent. The fracture surfaces of the strut tube and fork were consistent with an overstress event. Given the damage to the airplane, it is likely that the left main landing gear collapsed due to a hard landing and/or an excessive side load during the landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 2013 | Piper PA-44-180T | Loxahatchee, Florida, United States | 424 Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2013 | Piper PA-44-180 | Casa Grande, Arizona, United States | Bird Acquisition LLC | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2012 | Piper PA-44-180 | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States | University of North Dakota | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 2014 | Piper PA-44-180 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | ATP Aircraft 2 LLC | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2012 | Piper PA-44-180 | Titusville, Florida, United States | Space Coast Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 2014 | Piper PA-44-180 | Brunswick, Georgia, United States | ATP USA, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jul 2013 | Robinson R44 II | Thompson Falls, Montana, United States | Rocky Mountain Rotors | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Apr 2013 | Bell BHT407 | Big Fork, Montana, United States | Flathead County Sheriff's Office | No injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 2013 | Maule M-7-260C | Nashua, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2013 | Bell 206B | Shepherd, Montana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 Sep 2013 | Cessna 195A | Meadow Creek, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2013 | Piper PA 11 | Bozeman, Montana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |