Grumman TMB-3E N53503

Summary

On 17 March 2014 at about 18:00 local time, a Grumman TMB-3E registered N53503, operated by American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum, was involved in an accident near Glendale, Arizona, 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

17 March 2014 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Glendale, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Glendale Municpal (GEU)

Coordinates

33.5275, -112.2950

Aircraft

Grumman TMB-3E

Registration

N53503

Category

Airplane

Year built

1948

Engines

1

Operator

American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Glendale → Glendale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14CA143

Nobody was injured.

The pilot inadvertently raised the landing gear lever rather than the adjacent flap level while exiting the runway which resulted in the retraction 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 pilot reported that after landing and during the turn onto a taxiway intersection, he inadvertently raised the landing gear lever by mistake, rather than the adjacent flap lever. The left landing gear collapsed, which caused the left wing tip to strike the ground. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented had he waited until he was clear of the runway, stopped, and identified the flap switch. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.