Piper PA 31 N4078J accident near Saipan

Probable cause

Impact with multiple birds while retracting the landing gear, which resulted in the subsequent failure of the right inboard main landing gear door actuator hose and prevented the pilot from being able to extend the landing gear.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during the initial climb, about 150 ft above the ground, while the landing gear were being retracted, the airplane impacted a flock of medium-sized birds. He noted that the landing gear unlock indicator remained illuminated and that the landing gear handle would not return to the up neutral position. No degradation of performance was noted, so the pilot chose to continue to his destination.

About 20 miles from the airport, the pilot attempted to lower the landing gear but was unsuccessful. He contacted maintenance personnel on the ground and advised them of the landing gear issue. The ground maintenance personnel visually verified that the nose and right main landing gear (MLG) were down. The pilot performed the emergency gear extension checklist and noted little to no resistance on the hand pump. The pilot made multiple attempts to lower the landing gear without success. During the landing, the right MLG collapsed, and the left wing impacted the ground.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.

Postaccident examination revealed snarge on both horizonal stabilizers, the left wing, and the fuselage and that the right inboard MLG door actuator hose had failed.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA17CA570 for the full record.