NTSB Factual Report

On July 13, 2004, at 1237 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180 single-engine airplane, N4634J, was substantially damaged following a loss of control during landing on runway 17 at the Blackwell-Tonkawa Municipal Airport (4O3), near Blackwell, Oklahoma. The flight instructor and the private pilot receiving flight instruction were not injured. The airplane was registered and operated by the pilot receiving instruction. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The local flight originated from the Blackwell airport at time unknown.

The 85-hour pilot receiving instruction reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that after maneuvering in the vicinity of 4O3, they decided to land at 4O3. After turning base to final for runway 17 (a 3,500-foot long and 60-foot wide asphalt runway), the pilot noticed that the gear-down lights were not illuminated. The pilot aborted the landing and performed a go-around. After going through a checklist, the pilot discovered the circuit breaker switch had been pulled. The pilot reset the switch and the landing gear cycled normally. On the second approach to landing, the pilot told the 2,484-hour flight instructor that he was too high and decided to perform another go-around.

On the third approach to landing, the pilot stated that the airplane was stabilized on the glide slope at 85 knots. The pilot throttled back to idle upon crossing the runway threshold. The airplane touched down near the 1,000-foot marker. During the landing roll, the pilot applied the brakes, and the airplane began to veer to the left of centerline. The pilot applied right rudder but the airplane continued to veer left. The left main landing gear dropped-off the side of the runway into the grass. The instructor then instructed the pilot to "go-around." As the airplane became airborne, the left main landing gear struck a taxiway sign.

The flight instructor took over control of the airplane after the collision with the taxiway sign, and the pilot noticed there was no gear-down light for the left main gear. When the instructor lined up on final to runway 17 for the emergency landing, he told the pilot to "kill the engine" and turn the fuel selector valve to the "off" position. The aircraft landed on the right main landing gear and nose gear in the center of the runway just beyond the threshold line. The flight instructor attempted to hold the left wing off the ground as long as possible during the landing roll; however, as the airspeed bled off, the left wing impacted the runway surface. The airplane "skidded" and then veered off the left side of the runway. The airplane came to rest up in the upright position in a ravine adjacent to the runway.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, reported that the owner of the airplane had recently purchased the airplane from an operator in Benton, Kansas, and pilot hired a flight instructor to provide him with flight training in order to obtain a complex airplane endorsement. Examination of the airplane revealed that the main spar for the left wing was damaged, as well as the attaching structure for left main landing gear assembly.

The closest weather reported station to the accident site was the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) located at the Ponca City Regional Airport (PNC), located approximately 12 nautical miles east of the accident location. At 1253, PNC reported wind from 180 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky condition clear, temperature 93 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 29.96 inches of Mercury.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and the instructor's inadequate supervision by his delay in taking corrective action during the landing roll.