What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 06/01/2023 at approximately 11:55 EDT, a Piper PA-28-181 , experienced mechanical issues that resulted in an emergency landing located at the Pellston regional airport (pln) causing substantial damage to the aircraft. No injuries were reported.
The flight originated from harbor springs municipal airport (mgn) for an instructional flight with a certified flight instructor (CFI) acting as the pilot in command (PIC) and a student pilot operating in visual meteorological conditions. The student pilot was flying the aircraft performing “touch and go” maneuvers at mgn. The PIC stated at no time during the touch and go maneuvers did they experience abnormal stresses such as a hard landing or sideward drift on the landing gear. During climb out the student pilot stated he “felt what [he] thought was a rough engine knock.” the student pilot stated the PIC “immediately took control of the aircraft.” the pilot stated the aircraft had an “intermittent shudder with an accompanying thumping sound or bang.” the pilot stated he thought the sounds indicated a possible engine issue that may result in failure. The pilot stated at they were attempting to land at mgn when a radio call out was made by the airport manager stating “do not land, do not land, go around.” the flight crew performed a “go-around” and were notified the left main landing gear was “missing.” the left main landing gear detached from the standard position and was connected to the airplane via the connection lines. The pilot stated after assessing the situation, the decision was made to travel to pln due to the available emergency services located at pln compared to mgn. The pilot stated they contacted pln and declared an emergency. The pilot stated they waited until emergency services were in place, they performed a low pass as a “dry-run” and reviewed the emergency checklist. The aircraft landed without additional abnormalities and the flight crew exited the aircraft with no reported injuries.
Damage to the aircraft is as follows:
Left wing substantial damage to the left wing aft spar, several punctures, deformed sheetmetal from the left main landing repeatedly striking the wing area during flight and landing. The left main landing gear has damage from the detachment and landing sequence. Left wing flap has several dents, impact damage and the profile of the flight surface is substantially changed. The main fuselage/tail cone area adjacent to the left wing has impact damage and dents from the left main landing gear impacts during flight. The tail elevator has several dents and possible structural damage.
NTSB has sent the failed landing gear component (part number 65489-000 cylinder assembly) to their lab for further analysis.
As the FAA filed it
ON 06/01/2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 11:55 EDT, A PIPER PA-28-181 , EXPERIENCED MECHANICAL ISSUES THAT RESULTED IN AN EMERGENCY LANDING LOCATED AT THE PELLSTON REGIONAL AIRPORT (PLN) CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM HARBOR SPRINGS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (MGN) FOR AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WITH A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) ACTING AS THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) AND A STUDENT PILOT OPERATING IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. THE STUDENT PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRCRAFT PERFORMING “TOUCH AND GO” MANEUVERS AT MGN. THE PIC STATED AT NO TIME DURING THE TOUCH AND GO MANEUVERS DID THEY EXPERIENCE ABNORMAL STRESSES SUCH AS A HARD LANDING OR SIDEWARD DRIFT ON THE LANDING GEAR. DURING CLIMB OUT THE STUDENT PILOT STATED HE “FELT WHAT [HE] THOUGHT WAS A ROUGH ENGINE KNOCK.” THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THE PIC “IMMEDIATELY TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT.” THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT HAD AN “INTERMITTENT SHUDDER WITH AN ACCOMPANYING THUMPING SOUND OR BANG.” THE PILOT STATED HE THOUGHT THE SOUNDS INDICATED A POSSIBLE ENGINE ISSUE THAT MAY RESULT IN FAILURE. THE PILOT STATED AT THEY WERE ATTEMPTING TO LAND AT MGN WHEN A RADIO CALL OUT WAS MADE BY THE AIRPORT MANAGER STATING “DO NOT LAND, DO NOT LAND, GO AROUND.” THE FLIGHT CREW PERFORMED A “GO-AROUND” AND WERE NOTIFIED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS “MISSING.” THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DETACHED FROM THE STANDARD POSITION AND WAS CONNECTED TO THE AIRPLANE VIA THE CONNECTION LINES. THE PILOT STATED AFTER ASSESSING THE SITUATION, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO TRAVEL TO PLN DUE TO THE AVAILABLE EMERGENCY SERVICES LOCATED AT PLN COMPARED TO MGN. THE PILOT STATED THEY CONTACTED PLN AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE PILOT STATED THEY WAITED UNTIL EMERGENCY SERVICES WERE IN PLACE, THEY PERFORMED A LOW PASS AS A “DRY-RUN” AND REVIEWED THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT ADDITIONAL ABNORMALITIES AND THE FLIGHT CREW EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO REPORTED INJURIES.
DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT IS AS FOLLOWS:
LEFT WING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING AFT SPAR, SEVERAL PUNCTURES, DEFORMED SHEETMETAL FROM THE LEFT MAIN LANDING REPEATEDLY STRIKING THE WING AREA DURING FLIGHT AND LANDING. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR HAS DAMAGE FROM THE DETACHMENT AND LANDING SEQUENCE. LEFT WING FLAP HAS SEVERAL DENTS, IMPACT DAMAGE AND THE PROFILE OF THE FLIGHT SURFACE IS SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED. THE MAIN FUSELAGE/TAIL CONE AREA ADJACENT TO THE LEFT WING HAS IMPACT DAMAGE AND DENTS FROM THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR IMPACTS DURING FLIGHT. THE TAIL ELEVATOR HAS SEVERAL DENTS AND POSSIBLE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.
NTSB HAS SENT THE FAILED LANDING GEAR COMPONENT (PART NUMBER 65489-000 CYLINDER ASSEMBLY) TO THEIR LAB FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.