Piper PA-44-180 incident near Sanford, Florida, December 19, 1990
On December 19, 1990 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered N3062H, suffered minor damage in an incident near Sanford, Florida (Sanford 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
COLLAPSE OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DURING THE LANDING ROLL DUE TO INADEQUATE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY AND FAILURE OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DRAG LINK BOLT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1990 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Florida · Sanford Regional · map
- Type
- Incident
- 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
- N3062H · no longer on the register · serial 44-7995165
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. EXAM OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR REVEALED THAT THE DRAG LINK BOLT (AN4- 27) WHICH CONNECTS THE UPPER AND LOWER DRAG LINK ASSEMBLIES WAS WORN & FAILED AS A RESULT. ACCORDING TO THE ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG REVISED NOVEMBER 1982 & SUBSEQUENT REVISIONS, A NAS464P4- 27 BOLT PART NUMBER 402 940, IS SPECIFIED. THE CHANGE WAS REPORTEDLY DUE TO A PRODUCTION CHANGE. ON 7/29/86, PIPER ACFT ISSUED A SERVICE LETTER ADVISING OWNERS OF SPECIFIED PA-44-180 ACFT OF A MODIFICATION OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WHICH INCLUDES IN PART, REPLACEMENT OF THE DRAG LINK ASSEMBLY BOLT WITH THE NAS BOLT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,097 hours in all; 70 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,867 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 14, 1990; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-E1A6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Comair Aviation Academy
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 6,002 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 pm from SFB
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.
Other NTSB records under N3062H 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.