CEN19LA217 · Piper PA34 200

The commercial pilot was preparing for a checkride with a flight instructor in a multiengine airplane. While taking off for a fifth touch-and-go landing, the pilot retracted the flaps, increased the power, and raised the airplane's nose about 3° to 5°. The instructor stated that, as the airplane lifted and weight was removed from the landing gear, the gear appeared to retract. Subsequently, the airplane began to settle back on the runway, the right wing and propeller impacted the runway, and the right engine lost power. The airplane then banked right, and the instructor then assisted the pilot by retarding the throttle, leveling the wings, and lowering the nose. The airplane slid and came to rest on its belly off the right side of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and the fuselage.

The landing gear doors did not exhibit any damage. The tires were fully retracted into their respective wheel well with no abnormal markings or signs of damage that would be consistent with a landing gear collapse. The airplane was placed on jacks with the landing gear still retracted. When electrical power was applied, the gear extended as designed. The landing gear selector was then placed in the "up" position several times, and each time, the landing gear retracted in about 6 seconds. The examination revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Following the accident, neither pilot could recall the position of the landing gear during the takeoff. The instructor stated that he was unable to see the landing gear selector during the flight. According to the Pilot's Operating Manual, the landing gear can only retract when the landing gear selector is in the "up" position and the oleo strut is extended more than 8 inches. A microswitch incorporated into the throttle quadrant will activate a warning horn if the landing gear selector is in the "up" position when the airplane is on the ground. Neither pilot reported hearing this warning horn. Therefore, it is unlikely that the landing gear selector was placed in the "up" position when the airplane was still on the ground. Given this evidence, it is likely that the pilot prematurely moved the landing gear selector to the "up" position, which allowed the landing gear to retract before a positive climb rate was established, and the lack of a positive climb rate, which led to the airplane settling back on the runway with the gear retracted.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset