Accident Details
On September 26, 2017, at 1638 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260 airplane, registration N9020P, sustained substantial damage during landing at Whiteman Airport in Los Angeles, California. The private pilot, who was also the owner and operator of the airplane, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight had departed from Camarillo, California, at about 1600.
Pilot Report
The pilot reported that he lowered the landing gear while preparing to land on runway 12. After lowering the gear, he felt an increase in drag but could not recall whether the indicator light confirmed that the gear were down and locked. He stated that the landing flare was normal and the airplane touched down on the main landing gear. Subsequently, as the nose gear settled toward the runway and the airplane continued its landing roll, all three landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained structural damage to the fuselage.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration certified mechanic examined the airplane after the accident. He found that all three landing gear were in the gear wells. The main landing gear doors were undamaged, and only the nose landing gear door had light scratches, which the mechanic considered consistent with the gear being retracted at the time of impact. After recovering the airplane, the mechanic swung the landing gear and performed an examination. He found no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have prevented normal operation.