No fatalities

10 May 2008: Piper PA-34 — UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY — Blythe, CA

Blythe, CA, United States

On 10 May 2008, a Piper PA-34 operated by UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY was involved in an aviation accident near Blythe, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 17 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported that after a normal landing, the airplane unexpectedly drifted left, then entered an out-of-control side skid, resulting in the collapse of all landing gear.

Event Description

During a landing on runway 26, the pilot touched down at 95 mph. After decelerating to 70 mph, the airplane began drifting to the left. The pilot corrected to the right toward the centerline, but the airplane crossed the centerline and continued right. The pilot stated that the airplane's movement was not proportional to his control inputs. Attempting to correct back to the left, the airplane entered an out-of-control side skid on the runway. At a speed of 15 mph, the right main landing gear collapsed, followed by the left main and nose gear. The airplane came to rest on a heading of 104 degrees, left of the runway centerline.

Weather Conditions

At 1353, the Blyth Automated Surface Observation System recorded winds from 090 degrees at 4 knots.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that the airplane had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Capability exceeded