Piper PA-31-350 accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, September 27, 2000
On September 27, 2000 at about 3:59 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N159SW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado (Walker Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
Total failure of the right forward inboard landing gear door hinge pin for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2000 · about 3:59 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Junction, Colorado · Walker Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N159SW · no longer on the register · serial 31-7405229
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The on-demand cargo flight had been uneventful until the pilot made his landing approach. When he lowered the landing gear, the right main landing gear failed to extend and lock. A low pass was made and tower personnel confirmed that the landing gear was not extended. The pilot followed emergency procedures in an attempt to extend the landing gear, but to no avail. He made an intentional gear up landing. Postaccident examination disclosed that the right forward inboard landing gear door hinge pin (p/n 46652-2) had broken, preventing the landing gear from extending.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,488 hours in all; 7,850 in this make and model; 97 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 16,450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,422 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 10, 2000; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Western Aviators, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: RIL Rifle CO at 3:05 pm
- Destination: GJT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 4, 5,502 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:36 pm from GJT
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.
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.