On September 5, 1998, a Piper PA-34-200 (registration N40805) was involved in an aviation accident near St. Augustine, FL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The failure of the flight instructor and dual student to ensure the landing gear was extended for landing and their attempted go-around after the aircraft and propellers contacted the runway. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a go-around prompted by landing gear uncertainty, an aircraft rolled left and struck the ground, damaging both propellers. Examination revealed the landing gear handle was up.
Incident Overview
A flight instructor initiated a go-around after becoming uncertain about whether the landing gear was extended. The aircraft began to climb but then rolled to the left and descended, striking the ground with its left wing tip and nose first.
Runway and Aircraft Examination
Post-incident examination of the runway revealed slash marks consistent with propeller contact. Inspection of the aircraft showed that the landing gear handle was in the up position. Both propellers exhibited curling damage: the left propeller was curled over approximately two-thirds of the blade length, while the right propeller was curled over about one-third of the blade length.
Sequence of Events
The instructor reported that the go-around was performed due to the uncertainty about the landing gear. After initiating the go-around, the aircraft climbed momentarily. It then rolled left, descended, and impacted the ground in a left-wing-low, nose-low attitude. The propeller slash marks on the runway indicate that the propellers struck the ground during the impact.