- Date
- August 24, 2024, 20:45 local (Aug 25, 2024, 04:45 UTC)
- Place
- Sagwon, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6815BPiper PA-22-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20240824013099A
- Case key
- 195009
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A failure of the landing gear fitting at the fuselage attachment point to due to a poor weld joint.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated he was landing on a remote, rough and uneven gravel bar in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the landing roll, the left wing suddenly dipped, and it subsequently struck the gravel bar, sustaining substantial damage. A postaccident examination revealed that the left main landing gear had separated. Examination of the separated landing gear revealed the fractured areas of the weld at the fuselage attachment point exhibited rounded, reflected features consistent with a lack of fusion. In addition, there were areas that were absent of weld material along the circumferential or peripheral area, consistent with a lack of fusion. According to maintenance records the weld was from a landing gear conversion about 11 years prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6815B
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-4111
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 2,213
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 2024
- Departed
- Happy Valley, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 29, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,201 total · 110 in this make and model · 2,202 as pilot in command · 133 in the last 90 days · 56 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.76 inHg
- Observed at
- ASC, 33 nm away
- METAR
- PASC 250426Z 27012KT 10SM FEW010 BKN028 OVC048 04/02 A2976 RMK AO2 T00440022 PNO
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 29, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.