Piper PA 28R-180 N3723T

Summary

On 6 July 2014 at about 16:20 local time, a Piper PA 28R-180 registered N3723T, operated by Symiczek Douglas J, was involved in an accident near Lake Elsinore, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 July 2014 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Elsinore, California, United States

Coordinates

33.6500, -117.3975

Aircraft

Piper PA 28R-180

Registration

N3723T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Symiczek Douglas J

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Murrieta → Murrieta

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14FA282

3 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control when the landing gear unintentionally extended while maneuvering at low altitude and airspeed, which increased the airplane’s drag and decreased its ability to climb over the rising terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A video made by a witness located in a restaurant parking lot near the top of a ridge initially shows the airplane wings level at a low altitude with a steady engine rpm and the landing gear in the retracted position. The airplane then makes about a 45-degree, left turn. The airplane subsequently levels off, flying in the direction toward the ridgeline with the landing gear in the extended position. The airplane continues at a low altitude toward the rising terrain, and then the video ends. Shortly thereafter, witnesses reported seeing smoke in the area where the airplane had disappeared from their sight. The wreckage was found about 0.32 mile southwest of the restaurant parking lot, and the airplane had impacted trees on the rising terrain. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. This airplane was equipped with a back-up landing gear extension system, which incorporates a pressure-sensing device to automatically lower the landing gear at airspeeds between about 85 and 105 mph depending upon the power setting and regardless of the position of the gear handle in the cockpit. The system can be overridden by manually holding the emergency gear lever in the raised position. About 16 years before the accident, the manufacturer issued a mandatory two-part service bulletin requiring that either (1) the back-up landing gear extension system be removed from the airplane or (2) that the owner and operator review and understand the information about the system in the airplane flight manual and Pilot's Operating Handbook, including its operation and limitations. The mechanic who conducted the airplane's most recent annual inspection reported that the airplane's back-up landing gear extension system was still operational and that it had not been disabled. The pilot was maneuvering at a low level in an area with no suitable terrain for landing; therefore, it is likely that he did not intentionally lower the landing gear. During the steep turn, the airspeed likely decreased enough for the back-up landing gear system to engage and extend the gear. With the increased drag of the landing gear and low airspeed, the airplane did not have sufficient power or altitude to clear the rising terrain and subsequently collided with trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.