Piper PA-44-180 accident near Okmulgee, Oklahoma, June 1, 2010
On June 1, 2010 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered N9290P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Okmulgee, Oklahoma (Okmulgee Regional airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s inadvertent retraction of the nose landing gear and the flight instructor's delayed response.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 2010 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Okmulgee, Oklahoma · Okmulgee Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9290P · registry record · serial 4496019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a practice instrument approach, the student pilot and flight instructor intended to perform a touch-and-go maneuver. During the landing roll the instructor informed the student to retract the airplane’s flaps; however, the student inadvertently moved the landing gear retraction/extension handle to the “up” position. Although the instructor moved the landing gear handle back to the “down” position, the airplane’s nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane continued down the runway about 240 feet before exiting the right side of the runway into the grass. The airplane came to rest in a nose-down position and all three occupants were able to exit unassisted. An examination of the airplane by maintenance personnel after the accident revealed that the right wing sustained structural damage. There were no reported anomalies with the airplane’s landing gear prior to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,335 hours in all; 86 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,108 as pilot in command; 1,056 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 25, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,383 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 5, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360-A1HD (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: Lycoming LO-360-A1HD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spartan Aviation Industries INC
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK at 2:30 pm
- Destination: OKM Okmulgee OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,150 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CEN10CA311.