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20231207019559I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Spring, TX · December 7, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 7, 2023 · 11:55 local
Place
Spring, TX
Airport
David Wayne Hooks Memorial
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N886EC
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
1,180 total
N886ECRegistered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-7816262 · Built 1977Airframe 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.

At 12:15 on 12/07/2023 this office was notified that PA-28-161 experienced a collapsed strut on runway 17R between taxiways d and e at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (kdwh). Permission was granted to remove aircraft after pictures were taken by airport manager. This office arrived at the operator’s hangar to document the damage and speak with instructor and student pilots. The pilots indicated that they were practicing soft field landings and that it was not a hard landing. The damage indicated that the lower scissor attach points had broken off and the strut piston had become separated from the strut. It is impossible to determine if there were undetected cracks or if the break was a result of the last landing. The left strut assembly was replaced. The left flap was replaced. The aircraft was returned to service after a maintenance test flight. The aircraft records indicate that the last annual inspection was completed at airframe total time: 12,031.67, on March 31, 2023. The last 100-hour inspection was completed at airframe total time: 12,596.1, on November 4, 2023. At the time of the incident, the aircraft had accumulated 651.33 since last annual inspection and 86.9 hours since last 100-hour inspection. If additional information becomes available, this report will be amended as necessary.

As the FAA filed it

AT 12:15 ON 12/07/2023 THIS OFFICE WAS NOTIFIED THAT PA-28-161 EXPERIENCED A COLLAPSED STRUT ON RUNWAY 17R BETWEEN TAXIWAYS D AND E AT DAVID WAYNE HOOKS MEMORIAL AIRPORT (KDWH). PERMISSION WAS GRANTED TO REMOVE AIRCRAFT AFTER PICTURES WERE TAKEN BY AIRPORT MANAGER. THIS OFFICE ARRIVED AT THE OPERATOR’S HANGAR TO DOCUMENT THE DAMAGE AND SPEAK WITH INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOTS. THE PILOTS INDICATED THAT THEY WERE PRACTICING SOFT FIELD LANDINGS AND THAT IT WAS NOT A HARD LANDING. THE DAMAGE INDICATED THAT THE LOWER SCISSOR ATTACH POINTS HAD BROKEN OFF AND THE STRUT PISTON HAD BECOME SEPARATED FROM THE STRUT. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE IF THERE WERE UNDETECTED CRACKS OR IF THE BREAK WAS A RESULT OF THE LAST LANDING. THE LEFT STRUT ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THE LEFT FLAP WAS REPLACED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AFTER A MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT RECORDS INDICATE THAT THE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED AT AIRFRAME TOTAL TIME: 12,031.67, ON MARCH 31, 2023. THE LAST 100-HOUR INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED AT AIRFRAME TOTAL TIME: 12,596.1, ON NOVEMBER 4, 2023. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE AIRCRAFT HAD ACCUMULATED 651.33 SINCE LAST ANNUAL INSPECTION AND 86.9 HOURS SINCE LAST 100-HOUR INSPECTION. IF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE, THIS REPORT WILL BE AMENDED AS NECESSARY.