Piper PA 31 N4078J

Summary

On 30 August 2017 at about 18:08 local time, a Piper PA 31 registered N4078J, operated by Star Marianas Air, Inc., was involved in an accident near Saipan, United States. 7 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 August 2017 at 18:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Saipan, United States

Nearest airport

Francisco C Ada/Saipan Intl (GSN)

Coordinates

15.1178, 145.7261

Aircraft

Piper PA 31

Registration

N4078J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

2

Operator

Star Marianas Air, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rota Island → Saipan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA570

Nobody was injured.

Impact with multiple birds while retracting the landing gear, which resulted in the subsequent failure of the right inboard main landing gear door actuator hose and prevented the pilot from being able to extend the 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, during the initial climb, about 150 ft above the ground, while the landing gear were being retracted, the airplane impacted a flock of medium-sized birds. He noted that the landing gear unlock indicator remained illuminated and that the landing gear handle would not return to the up neutral position. No degradation of performance was noted, so the pilot chose to continue to his destination. About 20 miles from the airport, the pilot attempted to lower the landing gear but was unsuccessful. He contacted maintenance personnel on the ground and advised them of the landing gear issue. The ground maintenance personnel visually verified that the nose and right main landing gear (MLG) were down. The pilot performed the emergency gear extension checklist and noted little to no resistance on the hand pump. The pilot made multiple attempts to lower the landing gear without success. During the landing, the right MLG collapsed, and the left wing impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed snarge on both horizonal stabilizers, the left wing, and the fuselage and that the right inboard MLG door actuator hose had failed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.