On March 13, 2004, a Piper PA-28R-200 (registration N15118) was involved in an aviation accident near Peru, IL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The inadvertent landing gear retraction by the dual student during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A dual student inadvertently moved the landing gear switch instead of the flap lever after landing, causing the right main gear to collapse and the aircraft to veer off the runway.
Accident Details
The airplane sustained substantial damage during landing rollout when the dual student inadvertently selected the landing gear lever. The instructor had asked the student to raise the flaps after touchdown. The student, intending to operate the flap lever, instead moved the landing gear switch. The student reported that the gear switch was not moved to the full up position before the instructor announced the error and the student realized the mistake. Consequently, the right main landing gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to veer to the right and off the runway. The nose gear then collapsed, and the aircraft came to rest in the grass adjacent to the runway.
Post-Accident Inspection
During a post-accident inspection, the landing gear system was activated using the cockpit gear switch. The landing gear retracted and extended as designed. The squat switch was determined to be installed and adjusted in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements. Electrical functionality of the switch was tested, and no anomalies were observed.