Piper PA-44-180 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, March 29, 2006
On March 29, 2006 at about 3:42 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered N938ER, was substantially damaged in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Daytona Beach International 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the nose landing gear upper drag brace assembly due to overload acting on an undetected forging defect formed during the initial forging of the brace. A contributing factor in this accident was the runway distance remaining sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 2006 · about 3:42 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Daytona Beach International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- N938ER · registry record · serial 44-96200
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The landing gear was confirmed to be down and locked, three green annunciator lights were noted, and the nose landing gear was visually seen to be down and locked. The airplane touched down, veered sharply to the left and departed the runway. It collided with a runway distance remaining sign, damaging the right wing. Post-accident examination revealed the nose landing gear had collapsed. The upper drag brace (that connects the nose gear to the fuselage) was fractured, and the pivot lug (that connects the upper brace to the lower brace) was fractured in two places. The pivot lug fractures were consistent with overload stress separations. At least 13 internal horizontal and parallel cracks were uncovered near the vertical centerline of the brace. The cracks followed the grain flow lines resulting from forging. Flow lines were longitudinal in the arm portion of the brace with a smooth, gently curving transition into the thicker portion of the lug. However, flow lines in the upper fracture were convoluted and tightly twisted. A laboratory-induced fracture of the brace revealed an irregular boundary with ductile overstress features interspersed along the edge of the crack. Low magnification revealed a smooth, undulating surface. High magnification revealed a fine granular texture. Energy dispersive x-ray spectra revealed an increased oxygen level on the crack 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
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: 1,796 hours in all; 294 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 1,779 as pilot in command; 1,320 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 221 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 149 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 621 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360-A1H6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LO-360-A1H6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
The flight
- Departed from: DAB Bunnell FL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: DAB Daytona Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25R, 10,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from DAB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.