Piper PA-24 accident near Monticello, New York, June 5, 2021
On June 5, 2021 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 1959 Piper PA-24, registered N5779P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Monticello, New York (Sullivan County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection which resulted in a failure of the right main landing gear tire on landing rollout, a subsequent loss of directional control, and landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 2021 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Monticello, New York · Sullivan County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24, built 1959 · all PA-24s on the register
- Registration
- N5779P · registry record · serial 24-858
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was approaching the runway for landing and stated that the initial touchdown and landing roll were uneventful. After the first 100 ft, the airplane began to pull to the left, and the right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said that during a postaccident examination of the right main landing gear, he discovered a small nail that had punctured the tire and innertube. An examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed the horizontal stabilizer and empennage had been substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The FAA inspector also confirmed the punctured tire and innertube. Additionally, the FAA inspector discovered nails on the pilot’s hangar floor that were identical to the nail that was found in the airplane’s tire.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Tube › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Tire casing › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 113 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 56 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 27, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,318 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 2, 2020; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 3,720 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSV Wurtsboro NY at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 6,293 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:00 pm from MSV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 1, 2021. 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 | Record of Conversation -faa Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | 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.