What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Subject flight was an instrument instructional flight with CFII occupying right seat and private pilot occupying left seat. VMC prevailed, winds reported 180 at 11G17. The aircraft had flown other instructional flights uneventfully the same day. The instrument student conducted a preflight inspection prior to boarding, the instructor rechecked the aircraft prior to boarding and no discrepancies were noted. The instrument student conducted a normal takeoff from runway 24 , maneuvered normally, and subsequently received vectors for the ILS24 approach. Just before the final approach fix the instrument student extended approach flaps, and both pilots head a bang. The instructor took control of the aircraft, he assumed a flap malfunction and retracted the flaps but continued to hear abnormal noises, he then noticed the lower portion of the right landing gear trailing behind the wing, banging the flap and fuselage. The instructor declared an emergency and continued the approach. He landed runway 24 keeping the right wing up as long as possible. After the right wing settled the remains of the right landing gear contacted the runway, the aircraft departed the right edge of the runway and came to rest upright in the adjacent grass. The pilots shut down and secured the aircraft and exited without injury.
Inspection of the aircraft after recovery showed minimal airframe damage including one small lower right wing skin puncture, some gouges to the fuselage in the vicinity of the right flap, and significant damage to the right flap. Inspection of the right landing gear shows that the right landing gear strut housing torque link attachment ears were both broken, permitting the landing gear oleo strut-wheel-brake assembly to exit the housing under pressure from its compressed gas charge. The oleo strut was secured to the aircraft by the brake hose only. Close examination of the fracture surfaces shows indication that a stress crack originated in the right torque link attachment ear at the lower inboard corner, propagated up and outboard for approximately 60% of the material until the remainder of the ear suffered overload failure. The left ear fracture shows all overload failure signatures except for a small smear at the center of the inboard edge suggesting that the torque link moved laterally right to left during the failure sequence.
As the FAA filed it
SUBJECT FLIGHT WAS AN INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WITH CFII OCCUPYING RIGHT SEAT AND PRIVATE PILOT OCCUPYING LEFT SEAT. VMC PREVAILED, WINDS REPORTED 180 AT 11G17. THE AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHTS UNEVENTFULLY THE SAME DAY. THE INSTRUMENT STUDENT CONDUCTED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION PRIOR TO BOARDING, THE INSTRUCTOR RECHECKED THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO BOARDING AND NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED. THE INSTRUMENT STUDENT CONDUCTED A NORMAL TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 24 , MANEUVERED NORMALLY, AND SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED VECTORS FOR THE ILS24 APPROACH. JUST BEFORE THE FINAL APPROACH FIX THE INSTRUMENT STUDENT EXTENDED APPROACH FLAPS, AND BOTH PILOTS HEAD A BANG. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, HE ASSUMED A FLAP MALFUNCTION AND RETRACTED THE FLAPS BUT CONTINUED TO HEAR ABNORMAL NOISES, HE THEN NOTICED THE LOWER PORTION OF THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR TRAILING BEHIND THE WING, BANGING THE FLAP AND FUSELAGE. THE INSTRUCTOR DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND CONTINUED THE APPROACH. HE LANDED RUNWAY 24 KEEPING THE RIGHT WING UP AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. AFTER THE RIGHT WING SETTLED THE REMAINS OF THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE RUNWAY, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RIGHT EDGE OF THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN THE ADJACENT GRASS. THE PILOTS SHUT DOWN AND SECURED THE AIRCRAFT AND EXITED WITHOUT INJURY.
INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER RECOVERY SHOWED MINIMAL AIRFRAME DAMAGE INCLUDING ONE SMALL LOWER RIGHT WING SKIN PUNCTURE, SOME GOUGES TO THE FUSELAGE IN THE VICINITY OF THE RIGHT FLAP, AND SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT FLAP. INSPECTION OF THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR SHOWS THAT THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR STRUT HOUSING TORQUE LINK ATTACHMENT EARS WERE BOTH BROKEN, PERMITTING THE LANDING GEAR OLEO STRUT-WHEEL-BRAKE ASSEMBLY TO EXIT THE HOUSING UNDER PRESSURE FROM ITS COMPRESSED GAS CHARGE. THE OLEO STRUT WAS SECURED TO THE AIRCRAFT BY THE BRAKE HOSE ONLY. CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES SHOWS INDICATION THAT A STRESS CRACK ORIGINATED IN THE RIGHT TORQUE LINK ATTACHMENT EAR AT THE LOWER INBOARD CORNER, PROPAGATED UP AND OUTBOARD FOR APPROXIMATELY 60% OF THE MATERIAL UNTIL THE REMAINDER OF THE EAR SUFFERED OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE LEFT EAR FRACTURE SHOWS ALL OVERLOAD FAILURE SIGNATURES EXCEPT FOR A SMALL SMEAR AT THE CENTER OF THE INBOARD EDGE SUGGESTING THAT THE TORQUE LINK MOVED LATERALLY RIGHT TO LEFT DURING THE FAILURE SEQUENCE.
Other reports on N8543E · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.