Piper PA 30 N8674Y

Summary

On 17 June 2018 at about 15:20 local time, a Piper PA 30 registered N8674Y was involved in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida, 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.

Date

17 June 2018 at 15:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Vero Beach, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Vero Beach Regional (VRB)

Coordinates

27.6556, -80.4181

Aircraft

Piper PA 30

Registration

N8674Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vero Beach → Vero Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA171

Nobody was injured.

The collapse of all three landing gear for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, after a local flight, he returned to his home airport and entered the right base leg of the airport traffic pattern for landing. Due to traffic ahead of him, the pilot extended the landing gear early to decrease airspeed. He confirmed that the landing gear were extended by seeing the green light indication in the cockpit and by using the reflective mirror on the left engine nacelle to see that the nose landing gear (NLG) was extended. On short final approach, the pilot again confirmed that the landing gear were extended, and the airplane touched down near the touchdown markings. The pilot added that, after about 500 ft of landing roll, the NLG collapsed, and the airplane came to rest upright on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. Examination of the wreckage revealed that all three landing gear had collapsed. Further examination of the landing gear system revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although the main landing extension rods were found bent, no anomalies or damage was found that would have precluded normal operation of the landing gear. Therefore, the reason for the landing gear collapse could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.