Piper PA-30 accident near Lumberton, Mississippi, March 8, 2009
On March 8, 2009 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N8560Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Lumberton, Mississippi (I H Bass Jr Memorial 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
Collapse of the landing gear due to worn left main landing gear components.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2009 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lumberton, Mississippi · I H Bass Jr Memorial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N8560Y · registry record · serial 30-1707
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane touched down softly 150 feet beyond the threshold of the 3,000-foot-long runway. About 1,500 feet into the landing roll, the airplane started to drift left of centerline, and the pilot applied right rudder pedal to correct. At that time, the left main landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest on the runway. Examination of the landing gear system revealed that the left main landing gear sidebrace, sidebrace studs, and links were worn. The worn components allowed the left main landing gear down-limit switch to prematurely stop the landing gear motor before the left main landing gear had reached the locked position. Subsequently, the minor sideload created by the pilot's rudder input collapsed the left main landing gear. Airworthiness directive (AD) 97-01-01R1 required an extensive applicable landing gear inspection for the make and model airplane after every 1,000 hours of time in service. Review of the maintenance records revealed that the airplane's last required inspection was performed about 12 years prior to the accident, during which time the airplane had accumulated 942 hours in service.
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 Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 14, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,789 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 2009; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4R1 Lumberton MS at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 4R1 Lumberton MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from HGB, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.