NTSB CHI90GA273 — 1990-09-23 · CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri, United States

Current FAA registration · N752CF

Make / Model: PIPER PA-30
Year of manufacture: 1964 · 26 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES (150 hp)
Seats / Engines: 6 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date: 19641019
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AA21AF

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N752CF Piper PA-3O None

Probable cause & findings

EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE LANDING GEAR EXTENSION LINKAGE. A FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT WAS UNRELIABILITY OF THE GEAR INDICATING SYSTEM.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT STATES HE OBTAINED NO GEAR MOVEMENT ON SELECTING GEAR DOWN. WHEN THE SWITCH WAS RECYCLED, THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED BUT THE GEAR DOWN INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE. TOWER REPORTED THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN. THE PILOT THEN USED MANUAL EXTENSION TO LOWER THE GEAR AND REPORTS HE OBTAINED A DOWN LOCKED LIGHT. THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED DURING LANDING ROLLOUT. EXAMINATION REVEALED EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR LINKAGE. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR EXTENDED BUT WOULD NOT ACHIEVE OVER-CENTER IN THE DOWN POSITION USING MANUAL EXTENSION. A WIRE TO THE LEFT GEAR DOWN SWITCH WAS BROKEN WITHIN ITS INSULATION; IN AN AREA WHERE THE WIRE FLEXES AS THE GEAR CYCLES. LATER PRODUCTION AIRPLANES INCLUDE A LANDING GEAR DOWN SAFETY DEVICE TO MECHANICALLY LOCK THE GEAR DOWN WHEN EXTENDED MANUALLY. THE DEVICE MAY BE FITTED TO EARLIER AIRPLANES, AND ITS AVAILABILITY WAS ANNOUNCED IN 1973 IN A SERVICE SPARES LETTER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_CHI90GA273.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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