Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
Pilot in command failed to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll that resulted in a ground loop and the overload failure of the right main landing gear.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On August 1, 2002, at 1347 eastern daylight tine a Piper PA-32R-301, N957T, registered to B & B Contracting and operated by a private pilot, right main landing gear collapsed while taxiing after landing at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The personal flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with an instrument flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the private pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight departed Naples, Florida, at 1300 on August 1, 2001.
According to the private pilot, as he applied braking action during rollout after landing the airplane began to veer left. Although the pilot added right rudder to correct the problem, he was not able to stop the airplane from veering to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane spun around approximately 180 degrees, coming to rest on the runway surface with a heading of 130 degrees.
Examination of the airplane revealed a significant amount of side load had occurred, and both the left and right main landing gear collapsed to the left as a result. The right wing was damaged when the landing gear collapsed. There were several tire marks on the runway that terminated at the point where the airplane rested. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane prior to and during the accident sequence of events. The recorded winds were variable at three knots.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ATL02LA149