Piper PA-60 incident near Jacksonville, Florida, October 30, 1984
On October 30, 1984 at about 4:25 am local time, a Piper PA-60, registered N79CM, suffered minor damage in an incident near Jacksonville, Florida (Jacksonville Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 incident. 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
- October 30, 1984 · about 4:25 am local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · Jacksonville Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60 · all PA-60s on the register
- Registration
- N79CM · registry record · serial 60-009
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT SWERVED LEFT OFF THE RWY DURING THE LANDING ROLL. AN EXAM OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT REVEALED THAT THE COLLAR HAD FAILED PERMITTING THE LOWER PORTION OF THE LANDING GEAR STRUT TO SHIFT. THE SHIFT WAS TRANSMITTED TOTHE TIRE CAUSING IT TO FAIL. ACCORDING TO A METALLURGIST'S REPORT, THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE COLLAR FRACTURE APPEARED TYPICAL OF AN OVERSTRESS SHEAR SEPARATION.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,935 hours in all; 730 in this make and model; 371 in the last 90 days; 2,780 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,934 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 24, 1984; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-G1B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Top Flight Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL
- Destination: JAX Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 7,700 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from JAX
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.
Other NTSB records under N79CM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.