Piper PA-31 accident near Jackson, Wyoming, July 2, 1996
On July 2, 1996 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-31, registered N27518, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jackson, Wyoming (Jackson Hole airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
An improper screw installation by an unknown individual into the instrument panel, which restricted movement of the gear handle resulting in premature disengagement of the normal landing gear extension system. A factor was one or more improperly adjusted nose gear system components, which resulted in an unlocked nose gear that falsely indicated down and locked.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1996 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Wyoming · Jackson Hole · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31 · all PA-31s on the register
- Registration
- N27518 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7812038
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a normal landing, the aircraft's nose gear collapsed. The pilots stated that three green indicator lights were observed during the final landing checklist. In postaccident troubleshooting, an instrument panel mounting screw which was too long was discovered. This screw was obstructing the movement of the landing gear selector handle to a full down position, allowing it to return prematurely to neutral (which removes hydraulic pressure from the gear system.) The nose gear was thus not hydraulically moved over center and was unlocked, even though the nose gear indicated down and locked in this configuration. Per the aircraft service manual, the nose gear linkage incorporates a downlock spring, and both gear linkage overcenter travel and gear down limit switch position are adjustable. It was not determined whether, or when, these items were checked or adjusted before the accident. After the proper screw was installed in the instrument panel, the gear operated properly in retraction tests.
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: airline transport pilot, 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: 4,020 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 3,724 as pilot in command; 1,512 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,726 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 4, 1996; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,536 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-2AC (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 12:30 pm
- Destination: JAC
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 6,299 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:14 pm from JAC
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.