Piper PA-3O incident near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, September 23, 1990
On September 23, 1990 at about 3:46 pm local time, a Piper PA-3O, registered N752CF, suffered minor damage in an incident near Cape Girardeau, Missouri (Cape Girardeau Muni airport). It was a public-use 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
EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE LANDING GEAR EXTENSION LINKAGE. A FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT WAS UNRELIABILITY OF THE GEAR INDICATING SYSTEM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 1990 · about 3:46 pm local time
- Place
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri · Cape Girardeau Muni · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-3O
- Registration
- N752CF · registry record · serial 30-592
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATES HE OBTAINED NO GEAR MOVEMENT ON SELECTING GEAR DOWN. WHEN THE SWITCH WAS RECYCLED, THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED BUT THE GEAR DOWN INDICATOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE. TOWER REPORTED THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN. THE PILOT THEN USED MANUAL EXTENSION TO LOWER THE GEAR AND REPORTS HE OBTAINED A DOWN LOCKED LIGHT. THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED DURING LANDING ROLLOUT. EXAMINATION REVEALED EXCESSIVE PLAY IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR LINKAGE. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR EXTENDED BUT WOULD NOT ACHIEVE OVER-CENTER IN THE DOWN POSITION USING MANUAL EXTENSION. A WIRE TO THE LEFT GEAR DOWN SWITCH WAS BROKEN WITHIN ITS INSULATION; IN AN AREA WHERE THE WIRE FLEXES AS THE GEAR CYCLES. LATER PRODUCTION AIRPLANES INCLUDE A LANDING GEAR DOWN SAFETY DEVICE TO MECHANICALLY LOCK THE GEAR DOWN WHEN EXTENDED MANUALLY. THE DEVICE MAY BE FITTED TO EARLIER AIRPLANES, AND ITS AVAILABILITY WAS ANNOUNCED IN 1973 IN A SERVICE SPARES 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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,600 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,246 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1989; 136 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALN Alton IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 3,996 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:22 pm from CGI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N752CF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.