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20180819015959I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Danbury, CT · August 19, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 19, 2018 · 11:31 local
Place
Danbury, CT
Airport
Danbury Municipal Airport
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Rotation
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N81441
Reported as
Piper PA-28-161
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
4,678 total2,418 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days
N81441Registered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-8016241 · Built 1979Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161Engine 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.

The incident aircraft was practicing takeoffs and landing in the pattern at the Danbury Municipal Airport (kdxr). During the final takeoff, the pilot-in-command, who was acting as a certificated flight instructor, noted a bump that he believed was as a result of the runway condition. Instead, this was the sound of the impact of the left main landing gear strut impacting the runway as a result of the failure lower torque link bolt.

An airport tenant noticed the left main landing gear missing as the incident aircraft flew overhead and notified the tower. The tower subsequently informed the aircraft who departed the pattern to troubleshoot the problem. Eventually, the aircraft returned to the pattern and made several low passes to assess the condition of the left main landing gear. The aircraft was then landed eventually contacting the remaining upper portion of the strut.

No damage was noted to the propeller, the belly, or wing areas from the landing. There was light damage to trailing edge of the left flap and some black discoloration of the underside of the left side of the horizontal stabilizer. There were no injuries or post-crash fire.

As the FAA filed it

THE INCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS PRACTICING TAKEOFFS AND LANDING IN THE PATTERN AT THE DANBURY MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KDXR). DURING THE FINAL TAKEOFF, THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND, WHO WAS ACTING AS A CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, NOTED A BUMP THAT HE BELIEVED WAS AS A RESULT OF THE RUNWAY CONDITION. INSTEAD, THIS WAS THE SOUND OF THE IMPACT OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT IMPACTING THE RUNWAY AS A RESULT OF THE FAILURE LOWER TORQUE LINK BOLT.

AN AIRPORT TENANT NOTICED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR MISSING AS THE INCIDENT AIRCRAFT FLEW OVERHEAD AND NOTIFIED THE TOWER. THE TOWER SUBSEQUENTLY INFORMED THE AIRCRAFT WHO DEPARTED THE PATTERN TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM. EVENTUALLY, THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO THE PATTERN AND MADE SEVERAL LOW PASSES TO ASSESS THE CONDITION OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN LANDED EVENTUALLY CONTACTING THE REMAINING UPPER PORTION OF THE STRUT.

NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO THE PROPELLER, THE BELLY, OR WING AREAS FROM THE LANDING. THERE WAS LIGHT DAMAGE TO TRAILING EDGE OF THE LEFT FLAP AND SOME BLACK DISCOLORATION OF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR POST-CRASH FIRE.