Landing gear collapse involving a Piper PA-34-200T, Hooker Creek, Northern Territory, on 17 June 2026

What happened

On the morning of 17 June 2026, a Piper PA-34 Seneca II was on approach to Hooker Creek, Northern Territory. The pilot reported the landing gear was configured down with 3 green landing gear indication lights observed. The landing gear was also visually confirmed as down in the aircraft’s wing mirror.

The pilot conducted a stable approach, with a rate of descent between 300 and 500 ft per minute and an approach speed of about 85 to 90 knots. A crosswind landing technique was applied, and the aircraft remained aligned with the runway centreline during touchdown. The pilot reported that they did not detect any anomalies during the approach or landing, nor did they receive any warnings. No ballooning, bounces, ground strikes or runway excursions were observed.

However, during the post-flight inspection, the pilot observed that the nose landing gear had become displaced upward into the structure of the aircraft (Figure 1) with significantly reduced oleo extension. Buckling was also noted in the left-wing inboard section adjacent to the fuselage (Figure 2), both propellers were bent and the windshield and nose cowling were damaged.

Due to the substantial damage sustained to the aircraft, the operator did not undertake an engineering inspection, so the cause of the landing gear failure was unable to be conclusively determined. 

Figure 1: Damage to aircraft window

Figure 2: Left-wing damage

Safety message

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s Airworthiness Directive, CASA AD/PA-34/43 Amendment 2 notes that multiple aircraft service difficulty reports were submitted relating to the collapse or involuntary retraction of the nose landing gear in the Piper PA-34 Seneca series aircraft, and provides engineering requirements to reduce chance of recurrence.

About this report

Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.