No fatalities

19 Apr 2017: PIPER PA44 180 — SPARTAN EDUCATION LLC — Tulsa, OK

Tulsa, OK, United States

On 19 Apr 2017, a PIPER PA44 180 operated by SPARTAN EDUCATION LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Tulsa, OK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot receiving instruction’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusting wind conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 9 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a simulated single-engine landing, a multi-engine airplane veered left on touchdown, exited the runway, and its nose landing gear collapsed. The flight instructor reported no preaccident mechanical issues.

Incident Overview

A flight instructor reported that, during a simulated single-engine landing, the multi-engine airplane veered to the left upon touchdown. The instructor, who was monitoring the pilot receiving instruction, immediately took control and applied right rudder to correct the deviation. Despite these actions, the airplane departed the runway surface, resulting in the collapse of the nose landing gear.

Damage Assessment

The accident caused substantial damage to the nose landing gear structure. No other damage to the airframe was reported.

Environmental Conditions

According to recorded data from the automated weather observation station at the accident airport, around the time of the event, the wind was from 180 degrees at 14 knots with gusts to 21 knots. The airplane had been landing on runway 19R.

Pilot and Aircraft Information

The flight instructor stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation