Piper PA-34-200T accident near Fayetteville, Arkansas, April 9, 2000
On April 9, 2000 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N1571X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fayetteville, Arkansas (Drake Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the inboard half of the right main landing gear wheel as a result of fatigue.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2000 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fayetteville, Arkansas · Drake Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N1571X · no longer on the register · serial 34-7570291
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that upon touchdown, the airplane 'felt like it had a flat tire and started pulling hard right.' Subsequently, the airplane exited the runway surface, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to a stop upright. Examination of the landing gear revealed that the inboard half of the right main landing gear wheel had fractured through approximately 120 degrees of the flange. The fracture surface was examined at the NTSB Materials Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and exhibited striations, crack arrest positions, and ratchet marks, all of which are typical of fatigue propagation. The origin of the fatigue could not be determined as a result of rubber deposits on the fracture surface.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,900 hours in all; 1,593 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 18,500 as pilot in command; 12,900 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2000; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,773 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UNK Columbus MO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: FYV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 6,006 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.