No fatalities

1 Jun 2010: PIPER PA-44-180 — SPARTAN AVIATION INDUSTRIES INC — Okmulgee, OK

Okmulgee, OK, United States

On 1 Jun 2010, a PIPER PA-44-180 operated by SPARTAN AVIATION INDUSTRIES INC was involved in an aviation accident near Okmulgee, OK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot’s inadvertent retraction of the nose landing gear and the flight instructor's delayed response. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a touch-and-go practice following a practice instrument approach, a student pilot inadvertently retracted the landing gear instead of flaps, causing the nose gear to collapse. The twin-engine airplane exited the runway and sustained structural damage; all three occupants exited unassisted.

Accident Overview

A twin-engine airplane conducting a practice instrument approach followed by a touch-and-go maneuver experienced a nose landing gear collapse. The flight crew consisted of a student pilot and a flight instructor, and the aircraft carried a total of three occupants.

Sequence of Events

After completing the instrument approach, the crew initiated a touch-and-go. During the landing roll, the instructor instructed the student to retract the flaps. The student mistakenly moved the landing gear selector handle to the "UP" position instead of the flap control. The instructor immediately moved the handle back to "DOWN," but the nose landing gear had partially retracted and collapsed.

Runway Excursion and Final Position

The airplane continued down the runway for about 240 feet before exiting the right side onto the grass. It came to rest in a nose-down attitude.

Occupant Egress and Damage Assessment

All three individuals on board exited the airplane unassisted. A post-accident examination by maintenance personnel revealed structural damage to the right wing. The investigation found no reported anomalies with the landing gear system prior to the event.

Contributing factors

Student pilotInstructor/check pilot