Piper PA-46-310P accident near Lake Havasu, Arizona, June 2, 2011
On June 2, 2011 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registered N712MK, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Lake Havasu, Arizona (Lake Havasu City airport). It was a personal 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
The failure of the low pressure switch in the normal landing gear system, which prevented normal operation of that system, and the misrigging of the emergency extension gear release valve, which prevented the system from being depressurized to allow for the freefall of the gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2011 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Havasu, Arizona · Lake Havasu City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N712MK · registry record · serial 4608032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was descending into the traffic pattern after canceling his instrument flight rules clearance and that he lowered the landing gear; however, there was no response. At that point, he reset the landing gear circuit breaker and tried again to no avail. He then used the emergency checklist and attempted to drop the gear. Again there was no response. He continued to repeat all procedures for about the next 1 1/2 hours until the airplane was at minimum fuel and he was forced to land with the landing gear retracted. Prior to landing, he secured all items in the cabin, feathered the propeller, and shut down the engine and all electrical and fuel controls. The airplane touched down mid-field and slid about 1,200 feet. During the postaccident examination, the airplane was placed on jacks and supplied electrical power. Both the normal and emergency extension landing gear systems did not work. The examination revealed that a faulty low hydraulic pressure switch prevented the normal gear extension system from operating properly. The examination also revealed that the emergency gear release valve’s control arm was misrigged and would only move 1/4 inch instead of the approximately 2 inches of movement that was required. The misrigged control arm would not allow the system to port hydraulic fluid from the gear-down line to the gear-up line, which is required for the fluid to return to the reservoir and to allow gravity to extend the gear.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during approach defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Malfunction
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,747 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 2010
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A SERIES (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR at 3:30 pm
- Destination: HII Lake Havasu AZ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 8,001 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.