Piper PA-34-200 accident near Vero Beach, Florida, April 4, 2025
On April 4, 2025 at about 6:17 pm local time, a 1973 Piper PA-34-200, registered N333SE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Vero Beach, Florida (Vero Beach Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Separation of the lower nose landing gear down lock link bolt, which resulted in a collapse of the nose landing gear during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2025 · about 6:17 pm local time
- Place
- Vero Beach, Florida · Vero Beach Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200, built 1973 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N333SE · registry record · serial 34-7350091
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student and flight instructor of the multi-engine airplane departed for a training flight and initially planned to practice touch-and-go landings in the airport traffic pattern. After performing a go-around during the initial landing attempt, the flight instructor described that the student configured the airplane for landing and verified that the landing gear were extended. About 2 seconds after the airplane touched down on the runway normally, the nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane came to rest on the runway and the lower forward fuselage was substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the landing gear revealed that the lower bolt, which secured the nose landing gear down lock link to the lower drag link, was missing. The bolt was not found after the accident. Without this bolt, the nose landing gear could not remain in a locked position after it was extended. Given this information, it is likely that the bolt separated during the flight, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapse during the subsequent landing.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Failure
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,824.2 hours in all; 847.6 in this make and model; 245.9 in the last 90 days; 71.7 in the last 30 days; 1,751.4 as pilot in command; 1,542.8 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 19, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 325 hours in all; 34.9 in this make and model; 33.4 in the last 90 days; 10.6 in the last 30 days; 238.9 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 6, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,468.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 21, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 1,086 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LIO-360-C1E6 (piston); 1,086 hours total
- Operator: Paris Air INC
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 12R, 7,314 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 17 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 3026.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from VRB
Weather report (METAR): KFPR 041753Z 12020G26KT 10SM FEW026 28/20 A3025 RMK AO2 PK WND 10028/1726 SLP242 T02780200 10283 20239 58012
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA168.