Piper PA-24-250 accident near Southern Pines, North Carolina, May 8, 1999
On May 8, 1999 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N7001P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Southern Pines, North Carolina (Moore County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the left main landing gear retraction assembly as a result of the disconnection of the left main landing gear strap bracket assembly from the main gear spring attachment bracket due to the missing nut. A factor was the ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 1999 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Southern Pines, North Carolina · Moore County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7001P · registry record · serial 24-2146
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed Wadesboro, North Carolina, en route to Newport News, Virginia, with a planned fuel stop in Ahoskie, North Carolina. Upon arriving in Newport News, the pilot attempted to lower the landing gear and noticed an unsafe landing gear indication. Normal and emergency procedures for retraction of the landing gear were unsuccessful. The pilot elected to divert to Southern Pines, North Carolina. He performed a wheels-up landing on the grass between the two runways and during landing rollout, the aircraft impacted a ditch. An examination of the airplane revealed that the strap bracket assembly was missing the nut that attaches it to the main landing gear spring attachment bracket. As a result, the left landing gear had come loose and reversed direction, preventing the landing gear from fully extending and locking in the down position.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 275 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 30, 1998; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASJ Ahoskie NC at 6:00 pm
- Destination: PHF Newport News VA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.