Piper PA-32R-301T N5343C

Summary

On 30 July 2024 at about 01:30 local time, a Piper PA-32R-301T registered N5343C was involved in an accident near North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 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

30 July 2024 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Grand Strand (CRE)

Coordinates

33.8118, -78.7239

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-301T

Registration

N5343C

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hendersonville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA24LA337

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to use the emergency landing gear extension system, resulting in a gear-up landing. Contributing to the accident was an alternator belt failure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during a cross-country flight in night, visual meteorological conditions, the airplane’s alternator failed. He described that he misinterpreted the alternator warning light illuminating, and did not realize that the alternator had failed. Some time later the battery failed, resulting in a total loss of electrical power. He recalled making the decision to continue to his originally intended destination because of his familiarity with the airport. As he entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at the destination airport, he began his emergency checklists in preparation for landing. While performing the checklists he noticed that the airplane’s speed was too fast, so he attempted to extend the flaps to slow down. Upon activation, he realized they would not function without electrical power. Amid these efforts he continued the emergency checklist, pulling what he thought was the hydraulic system circuit breaker, but what a post-accident inspection revealed to actually be the standby vacuum pump circuit breaker. The pilot reported that he continued setting up the airplane for landing but did extend the landing gear using the emergency gear extension system. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane with the landing gear still up, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage’s external longerons. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the emergency landing gear extension handle was in the stowed position. The emergency landing gear extension system was functionally tested while the airplane was on jacks and found to function satisfactorily. Once electrical power was restored, the landing gear retraction/extension system operated normally. Additionally, the alternator belt was found broken, which likely resulted in the alternator’s failure during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.