NTSB BFO86FA023 — 1986-04-14 · CAMP SPRINGS, Maryland, United States

Current FAA registration · N32613

Make / Model: PIPER PA-28R-200
Year of manufacture: 1974 · 12 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19741122
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A38731

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N32613 Piper PA-28R-200 Minor

Factual narrative

DURING A FLT TO PREPARE THE STUDENT FOR A CFI CHECK RIDE, BOTH THE STUDENT AND THE CFI COULD NOT OBTAIN A GREEN LIGHT CONFIRMING THE NOSE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO ASSURE IT WAS DOWN AND LOCKED THE ACFT WAS LANDED AT ANDREWS AFB. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING AND THE ACFT SLID OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY. EXAMINATION REVEALED A SKEWED WEAR PATTERN DEEP WITHIN THE SLOT OF THE NOSE GEAR ALIGNER GUIDE. THE ENTIRE SLOT WAS FOUND TWISTED IN A DIRECTION CONSISTENT WITH DEFORMATION AT ITS UPPER END OF ONE OF THE GUIDE WALLS. THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF THE SLOT WALL WHICH CONTAINED THE DEFORMATION AT ITS UPPER END REVEALED MARKS CONSISTENT WITH SHORT TERM CONTACT WITH THE ALIGNMENT BUSHING WHICH NORMALLY RIDES WITHIN THE SLOT. IF THE BUSHING DID NOT ALIGN WITH ITS GUIDE DURING RETRACTION AND BENT ONE OF THE GUIDE WALLS IT MAY CAUSE THE GEAR TO FAIL TO FULLY EXTEND. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1986_BFO86FA023.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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