San Angelo, TX, USA
N2120J
PIPER PA-28-161
The flight instructor stated that, during the landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered left, which damaged the left wing. Examination of the left main landing gear strut revealed that several mounting holes were elongated, consistent with wear over an extended period, and several bolts were missing. The landing gear strut’s missing bolts and loose hardware likely resulted in the failure of the remaining fasteners to support the airplane’s weight and resulted in the landing gear collapse. Although the airplane’s maintenance records were not made available for review and the maintenance history of the landing gear could not be determined, the elongated mounting holes and missing bolts were consistent with maintenance personnel’s failure to ensure that proper torque was applied to the landing gear strut hardware.
On June 2, 2021, about 2050 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161 airplane, N2120J, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near San Angelo, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The instructor stated that, during the landing roll, he noticed the left wing lower as if the tire was flat. The airplane subsequently veered left, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed a hole on top of the left wing where the left main landing gear strut assembly had broken loose from the upper left wing spar cap. Several mounting holes in the left main landing gear strut were elongated, consistent with wear over an extended period of time. Several landing gear strut mounting bolts were loose, and all bolts were missing from the lower strut assembly mount. During removal of the left main landing gear strut assembly from the left wing, only the brake line remained attached, with no other hardware securing the left main landing gear strut to the left wing. The airplane’s maintenance records were not made available for review, and the maintenance history of the landing gear could not be determined.
Inadequate maintenance of the left main landing gear strut, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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