Piper PA 24-250 accident near Silver City, New Mexico, January 3, 2014
On January 3, 2014 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 1960 Piper PA 24-250, registered N6767P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Silver City, New Mexico (Grant County 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The collapse of the landing gear during landing for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 2014 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Silver City, New Mexico · Grant County · 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, built 1960 · all PA 24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6767P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1897
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he lowered the landing gear and observed gear-down indications before touchdown; however, the landing gear collapsed during the landing. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that all three landing gear had collapsed; no anomalies in the extension/retraction linkage were found. The airplane owner reported that, during recovery of the airplane, he had adjusted the nose landing gear actuating rod for the nose gear to fully seat on the stop flats. Additionally, the landing gear had been serviced during the most recent annual inspection, which was about 24 flight hours before the accident. Although it is possible that the landing gear was not properly adjusted after the maintenance work, several flights had been conducted in the interim without any reported issues related to the landing gear system. Postaccident examinations revealed that the nose landing gear down lock switch was improperly mounted upside down and that the limit switch was stuck in the closed position. The inoperative nose landing gear switch would have provided a gear down/locked indication to the pilot regardless of the nose landing gear condition. It is possible that the nose landing gear did not fully extend and lock down before landing due to either the inoperative limit switch or a slight misrigging of the system. However, because the landing gear was operated by the transmission jackscrew, it is unlikely that an issue with the nose landing gear would have caused a collapse of the main landing gear if the main landing gear was fully extended and locked in the down position. The reason for the landing gear collapse could not be determined.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Malfunction
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 900 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 15, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 2013; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,899 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming 0-540-A1B5 (piston); 4,500 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DMN Deming NM at 9:30 pm
- Destination: DMN Deming NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 6,802 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from SVC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on April 17, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Logbook - Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Service Manual - Excerpt (Landing Gear System) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.