ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 348626
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| Date: | Sunday 29 October 2023 |
| Time: | 11:56 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-39-160 Twin Comanche C/R |
| Owner/operator: | Compassion Flight LLC |
| Registration: | N289WW |
| MSN: | 39-84 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1971 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7836 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-320-B1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Franklin County State Airport (FSO/KFSO), Highgate, VT -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Highgate-Franklin County State Airport, VT (KFSO) |
| Highgate-Franklin County State Airport, VT (KFSO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On October 29, 2023, at about 1156 local time, a Piper PA-39-160 Twin Comanche C/R, N289WW, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at Franklin County State Airport (FSO/KFSO), Highgate, Vermont. The airline transport pilot (ATP) and three passengers were not injured.
The pilot reported that during the landing rollout on a 3,001-ft-long, asphalt runway, he intended to retract the flaps, but instead he retracted the landing gear. The result was that all three of the landing gear assemblies retracted into their respective wheel wells during the landing roll. The lower fuselage stringers were substantially damaged. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
The airplane was equipped with a squat switch on the left main landing gear that was designed to prevent the landing gear from inadvertently retracting; however, the switch required that sufficient weight be on the landing gear in order to work effectively. The pilot stated, and a video of the landing confirmed, that the airplane was still moving at relatively high speed when he selected the landing gear handle to the retracted position. The pilot reported that the squat switch was tested at the last annual inspection and that it operated normally during the inspection. Based on this information, it is likely that the airplane's wings were still generating lift when the landing gear handle was selected to the retracted position and the gear struts was not compressed enough to activate the squat switch.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during landing rollout, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA24LA046
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193415
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N289WW
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Dec-2023 15:52 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 01-Feb-2024 11:43 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 01-Feb-2024 11:44 | harro | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Feb-2024 15:53 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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