NTSB ERA22LA048 — 2021-09-26 · Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Current FAA registration · N3VM

Make / Model: PIPER PA-31-350
Year of manufacture: 1973 · 48 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING TI0-541 SER (310 hp)
Seats / Engines: 8 seats · 2 engines
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A31C87

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N3VM Piper PA-31-350 None

Probable cause & findings

The collapse of the left main landing gear for reasons that could not be determined.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after a normal approach and landing, during the landing roll after about 5 to 6 seconds, the left main landing gear collapsed. He immediately pulled the mixtures to idle-cut-off, the left wing contacted the runway, and the airplane skidded into the grass to the left of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that he observed three gear down green indications prior to landing. Postaccident examination of the landing gear system and functional tests found that the nose and main landing gear system functioned normally, and in addition, the three green indicator lights functioned normally. The investigation was unable to duplicate any fault or discover any anomaly with the landing gear system. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main landing gear-Unknown/Not determined
— Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main landing gear-Failure

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_ERA22LA048.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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