Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Fernando Luis Ribas Domin Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
San Juan
Saturday, June 8, 1996 6:45 AST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
Two days before the accident, tape had been placed over each static port in preparation for washing the airplane. The person who placed the tape and the person who washed the airplane did not remove the tape after the airplane had been washed. During the preflight inspection of the airplane, the student pilot did not observe or remove the tape covering each static port. The airplane preflight inspection checklist indicates that each static port is required to be inspected to verify each is clear. The flight departed to perform touch-and-go landings and during the downwind leg, the airspeed indicator indicated 0. The pilot stated he lowered the landing gear via the normal method but the gear indicator lights circuit breaker popped several times while in the pattern. Witnesses reported hearing the airplane flying in the traffic pattern at near full power. The pilot flew over the runway and remained in the pattern. While on final approach during the second pattern, all gear indicator lights indicated that the gear was down and locked. The airplane landed hard causing all three gears to collapse and the nose baggage door to open. Flight tests confirm that the airspeed indicator would indicate during the takeoff roll until the flight was about 400 feet above ground level at which time the airspeed indicator would indicate 0. The pilot had a total of 3.6 hours total solo time in the accident airplane and no more than 15 solo landings. He did not activate the equipped alternate static source.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Failure of the student pilot to maintain the proper descent rate resulting in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was: the failure of other maintenance personnel to remove tape that was placed by company personnel over each static port before washing the airplane, inadequate preflight of the airplane by the student pilot, his failure to activate the alternate static source, and his lack of total experience in make and model airplane.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/8/1996 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 645 |
| Event Time Zone | Atlantic Standard Time |
| Event City | SAN JUAN |
| Event State | PUERTO RICO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 00907 |
| Event Date Year | 1996 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | FERNANDO LUIS RIBAS DOMIN |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | SIG |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 10 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 700 Atlantic Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 112 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SJU |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 10 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 6 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | AST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 5000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 26 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 23 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 80 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 901 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 8 1996 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1019 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 10:05AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N821RR |
| NTSB Number | MIA96LA152 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Piper |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32R-301 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-32R-301 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3246022 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 20 1996 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 102 |
| Airframe Hours | 107 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ROBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 6386 |
| Aircraft Owner City | VAYAMON |
| Aircraft Owner State | PR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 00960 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | SIG |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 630 |
| Departure Time Zone | AST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 9 |
| Runway Length | 5317 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |