Accident Overview
On April 9, 2017, at approximately 1015 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-201 airplane, registration N36458, experienced a landing gear collapse at the Oakland County International Airport (KPTK) in Pontiac, Michigan. The airplane was registered to IXI LLC and operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was conducted without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger were not injured, but the airplane sustained substantial damage.
Sequence of Events
While conducting touch-and-go landings, the pilot landed the airplane for the third time. Upon touchdown, the right main landing gear and nose landing gear collapsed. The right wing partially separated from the airplane, resulting in substantial damage.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination by the responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector found an unused instrument lamp socket that was improperly secured during recent maintenance. This allowed the socket to short the landing gear controls. The landing gear control circuit breaker was tripped, which stopped the landing gear from transitioning to the down position and rendered the landing gear indicators and warnings inoperative. No other anomalies were found with the airplane.