19990130008759I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Santa Ana, CA · January 30, 1999

Date: January 30, 1999 · 10:00 local
Place: Santa Ana, CA
Airport: John Wayne Airport-Orange Cou
Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4328N
Reported as: Piper PA28161
Reported engine: Lycoming O320E3D
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 170 total150 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

N4328NRegistered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-8416020 · Built 1983 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On January 30, 1999, at approximately 10:00 am PST, nancy m. credi was departing from John Wayne airport. During rotation the pilot was contacted by the tower and told that the main landing gears had fallen off. The aircraft landed with minor damage to the aircraft with no injuries to the pilot. Inspection of the aircraft revealed that the bolts the held the lower landing gear strut in place was missing prior to flight, or the hardware used to retain these bolts was missing and allowing the bolt to fall out. Reviewing the maintenance log book, it was discovered that a 100 hour inspection had just been completed the day before and this was the first flight after the inspection. The mechanic completed the inspection and the aircraft was then taxied to a parking spot about a mile from the maintenance area. The aircraft was parked there over night until the next day (30 January 1999) when it was then rented and flown resulting in this incident. This incident is closed.

As the FAA filed it

ON JANUARY 30, 1999, AT APPROXIMATELY 10:00 AM PST, NANCY M. CREDI WAS DEPARTING FROM JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT. DURING ROTATION THE PILOT WAS CONTACTED BY THE TOWER AND TOLD THAT THE MAIN LANDING GEARS HAD FALLEN OFF. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE BOLTS THE HELD THE LOWER LANDING GEAR STRUT IN PLACE WAS MISSING PRIOR TO FLIGHT, OR THE HARDWARE USED TO RETAIN THESE BOLTS WAS MISSING AND ALLOWING THE BOLT TO FALL OUT. REVIEWING THE MAINTENANCE LOG BOOK, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT A 100 HOUR INSPECTION HAD JUST BEEN COMPLETED THE DAY BEFORE AND THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT AFTER THE INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC COMPLETED THE INSPECTION AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN TAXIED TO A PARKING SPOT ABOUT A MILE FROM THE MAINTENANCE AREA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED THERE OVER NIGHT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY (30 JANUARY 1999) WHEN IT WAS THEN RENTED AND FLOWN RESULTING IN THIS INCIDENT. THIS INCIDENT IS CLOSED.