Piper PA-44-180 incident near Daytona Beach, Florida, May 5, 1993
On May 5, 1993 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-44-180, registered N21427, suffered minor damage in an incident near Daytona Beach, Florida (Spruce Creek airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE DRAG LINK ASSEMBLY BOLT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1993 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Spruce Creek · 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
- N21427 · registry record · serial 44-7995050
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TOUCHDOWN DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. EXAMINATION OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY REVEALED THAT THE DRAG LINK ASSEMBLY BOLT FAILED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE BOLT REVEALED THAT IT FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE. REVIEW OF THE AIRFRAME LOGBOOK REVEALED THAT THE BOLT AND ASSOCIATED BUSHINGS HAD BEEN REPLAED ON MARCH 17, 1993. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE AIRPLANE HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 36 HOURS SINCE THE BOLT REPLACEMENT.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 256 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,451 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 18, 1993; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-E1A6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spruce Creek Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 44J
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from DAB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N21427 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA93IA120.