Skip to content

MIA89LA104

1989-03-12 · ST AUGUSTINE, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SGJ

Current FAA registration · N8417H

Make / Model
PIPER PA-34-220T
Year of manufacture
1981 · 8 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR TSIO-360 SER (225 hp)
Seats / Engines
7 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19810611
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB86E5

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

INADVERTENTLY RETRACTION OF THE LANDING GEAR, AND FAILURE OF THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI) TO NOTE THAT THE GEAR HAD BEEN RETRACTED. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: IMPROPER FLARE BY THE STUDENT PILOT.

Factual narrative

THE MULTI-ENG PVT PLT WAS RECEIVING INSTRUCTION FROM HIS CFI. THE PLT STATED THE LDG WAS ON THE MAIN GEAR, 'SLIGHTLY HARD & THE PLANE FLOATED UP A COUPLE OF FT.' TOUCHING DOWN AGAIN ABT 50 YDS DOWN THE RWY, THE ACFT LNDD ON THE WHEELS, BUT SEEMED LOW. THE CFI ADMITTED TO A FLAT APCH WHICH RESULTED IN A 'SLIGHT BOUNCE OF ABT 3 FT'. THE ACFT WAS PLACED ON JACKS & 8 RETRACTION/EXTENSION CYCLES WERE PERFORMED. THE GEAR OPERATED NORMALLY. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE; SCUFF MARKS ON THE SIDEWALLS OF THE MAIN GEAR TIRES INDICATED THEY WERE UP AS THE ACFT SKIDDED ALONG THE RWY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_MIA89LA104.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.