Piper PA-24-250 accident near Mammoth Lake, California, March 30, 2006
On March 30, 2006 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6744P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mammoth Lake, California (Mammoth Lakes airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The collapse of the right main landing gear during landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control and an on-ground encounter with a snowbank. A factor associated with the accident was other maintenance personnel's inadequate inspection of the landing gear system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2006 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mammoth Lake, California · Mammoth Lakes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6744P · registry record · serial 24-1872
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was conducting a cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. The pilot said when he arrived at his destination airport, he did not get a green down and locked light for the landing gear, and elected to go-around. He said he cycled the landing gear up and down twice, saw the green down and locked light both times, and proceeded to land. He reported that upon touchdown, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway and struck a snowbank. The pilot stated that there were no known preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane. Postaccident inspection of the airplane by an independent aviation mechanic hired to repair the airplane, disclosed that the main landing gear maintenance did not appear to be in compliance with an applicable FAA airworthiness directive (AD), AD 77-13-21, Amendment 39-3093, effective December 16, 1977. That AD defines the actions/inspections necessary to maintain the landing gear in an airworthy condition, and to preclude a malfunction or collapse. A review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks indicated only partial compliance with the AD. The aviation mechanic repairing the airplane said that numerous landing gear components were worn well beyond the limits set forth in the AD and associated service letter.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,088 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE San Diego CA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: MMH Mammoth Lake CA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 27, 7,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6744P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC06LA041.