On February 2, 1986, a Piper PA-60 (registration N9784Q) was involved in an aviation accident near Folkston, GA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The failure of the left main landing gear outboard retract strut assembly, which resulted in the collapse of the left main gear during an unauthorized landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft made an unauthorized deviation from its Tampa to Jacksonville flight path, landing at Davis Field in Folkston, GA, where the left main gear collapsed due to a strut assembly failure.
What happened
The pilot was operating a flight from Tampa, Florida, to Jacksonville, Florida. During this journey, he made an unauthorized deviation from his planned route and landed at Davis Field in Folkston, Georgia. Upon landing, the left main landing gear collapsed.
The investigation
A post-crash examination of the aircraft was conducted to determine the mechanical cause of the incident. The inspection revealed that the collapse of the left main gear was due to the failure of the left main landing gear outboard retract strut assembly.
Probable cause
The failure of the left main landing gear outboard retract strut assembly, which resulted in the collapse of the left main gear during an unauthorized landing.