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20260127000719I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Van Nuys, CA · January 27, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 27, 2026 · 13:35 local
Place
Van Nuys, CA
Airport
Van Nuys
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Rotation
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N51467
Reported as
Piper PA-28-161
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
74 total73 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days
N51467Registered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-7816290 · 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.

The aircraft was departing vny, runway 34L, after rotation the RH MLG piston and axle assembly fell off the aircraft. The RH MLG scissors upper link attach point failed when the piston extended. The piston internal retainer ring also failed, allowing the piston and axle assembly to be ejected from the landing gear assembly. Airport operations recovered the ldg from the runway. The aircraft circled west of the airport and returned for a landing on 34L coming to a stop midway down the runway.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS DEPARTING VNY, RUNWAY 34L, AFTER ROTATION THE RH MLG PISTON AND AXLE ASSEMBLY FELL OFF THE AIRCRAFT. THE RH MLG SCISSORS UPPER LINK ATTACH POINT FAILED WHEN THE PISTON EXTENDED. THE PISTON INTERNAL RETAINER RING ALSO FAILED, ALLOWING THE PISTON AND AXLE ASSEMBLY TO BE EJECTED FROM THE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY. AIRPORT OPERATIONS RECOVERED THE LDG FROM THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CIRCLED WEST OF THE AIRPORT AND RETURNED FOR A LANDING ON 34L COMING TO A STOP MIDWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY.