Piper PA-34-200T accident near Lower Lake, California, March 11, 1988
On March 11, 1988 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N1555X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lower Lake, California (Pearce Fld 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 1988 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Lower Lake, California · Pearce Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N1555X · registry record · serial 34-7570284
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG THE LNDG ROLL, THE LEFT MAIN LNDG GEAR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE RWY, FURTHER DAMAGING THE AIRCRAFT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TRUNNION HAD FAILED. IT HAD FAILED DIAGONALLY APRX 5 INCHES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUNNION & 2 INCHES BELOW THE ROTATING AXIS. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED PREEXISTING FATIGUE WHERE THE FRACTURE OCCURRED. THE TRUNNION HAD BEEN IN SVC FOR APRX 4081 HRS OF OPERATION. PIPER SVC BULLETIN #787A, DATED 8/15/85, ADDRESSED THE POSSIBILITY OF CRACKS DEVELOPING IN THE AREA OF THE FAILURE. IT RECOMMENDED THAT AFTER THE 1ST 1000 HRS IN SVC, TRUNNIONS BE INSPECTED AT INTERVALS NOT TO EXCEED 100 HRS UNTIL REPLACED. THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS DATED 3/8/88, BUT THERE WAS NO LOGBOOK ENTRY TO INDC THE INSPECTIONS HAD BEEN COMPLETED. THE ACFT HAD FLOWN ONLY 4 HRS SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,642 hours in all; 982 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 820 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,082 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 8, 1988; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RDD Redding CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,485 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.