Piaggio P180 incident near Clearwater, Florida, April 24, 2013
On April 24, 2013 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piaggio P180, registered N139SL, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (landing roll) near Clearwater, Florida (St Petersburg-Clearwater Inter airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the nose landing gear steering manifold during landing, which resulted in an uncommanded and uncontrollable right turn, and the overhaul facility’s improper overhaul of the nose landing gear steering manifold.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 2013 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Clearwater, Florida · St Petersburg-Clearwater Inter · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piaggio P180 · all P180s on the register
- Registration
- N139SL · no longer on the register · serial 1104
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing, the nosewheel touched down, and the pilot heard the tire "squeal" and then felt the airplane gradually veer right. The pilot attempted to correct the turn by applying left rudder, left braking, and left-engine reverse thrust. The airplane came to a stop with the nose pointed more than 90 degrees right of the runway centerline. Examination of the nose landing gear steering manifold revealed that it had recently been overhauled but that the overhaul was not conducted in accordance with the manufacturer's component maintenance manual (CMM); the overhaul facility used unapproved alternative tooling because it did not have the required tooling to conduct the overhaul as specified in the CMM. The nose landing gear steering manifold exhibited internal damage consistent with metal tooling marks that resulted from the use of improper tooling during the overhaul and led to the failure of the nose landing gear steering manifold during landing.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Malfunction
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of procedures › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,553 hours in all; 1,115 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 30, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,989 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 23, 2013; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,100 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66 (turboprop); 8,538 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66 (turboprop); 7,769 hours total
- Operator: Avantair INC
The flight
- Departed from: KPIE Clearwater FL at 7:53 pm
- Destination: KPIE Clearwater FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36R, 9,730 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KPIE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.