Piper PA23 accident near Charlotte Amalie, September 12, 2019
On September 12, 2019 at about 6:25 am local time, a 1966 Piper PA23, registered N269KW, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Charlotte Amalie (Cyril E King 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 left main landing gear 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 12, 2019 · about 6:25 am local time
- Place
- Charlotte Amalie · Cyril E King · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA23 250, built 1966 · all PA23s on the register
- Registration
- N269KW · no longer on the register · serial 27-3275
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that while back-taxiing at night on the takeoff runway, he cycled the propeller twice, pulled the throttle back to idle, and heard an irregular noise. He then felt ground contact, consistent with the airplane’s left main landing gear collapsing. He immediately shut off the mixtures to both engines. The pilot reported that he did not recognize that the landing gear was slowly collapsing because of the dark night conditions. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Therefore, 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 taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Not specified
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,053 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 6,971 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 20, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-540-J4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-540-J4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Executive Airshares Llc
The flight
- Departed from: TIST Charlotte Amalie
- Destination: TISX St. Croix
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 10, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from TIST
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 August 7, 2020. 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 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statements | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Area Weather Reports | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 5 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.