- Date
- August 19, 2025, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9314DPiper PA-22-160
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250819014019A
- Case key
- 200819
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
The failure of the left main landing gear mount due to extensive corrosion while landing in an area of rough terrain.
Findings · 2
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 reported that, while landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane at a remote airstrip, the airplane encountered an area of rough and uneven terrain and the main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to both wing lift struts and the fuselage near the left main landing gear mount. After exiting the airplane, the pilot observed that the left main gear had fractured at the fuselage attach point. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Photos of the fracture surfaces from the main landing gear spring and fuselage attach point exhibited features that were consistent with extensive corrosion. It is likely that a fatigue crack initiated due to the corrosion damage at the fracture origin.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9314D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-6325
- Built
- 1958
- Airframe hours
- 3,575
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 31, 2024 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- HOM · Homer, AK
- Destination
- HOM · Homer, AK
- Airport
- NONE · Sheep River Airstrip
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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 18, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 75.3 total · 73.4 in this make and model · 48.6 as pilot in command · 44.5 in the last 90 days · 21.4 in the last 30 days · 1.4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- AHO, 28 nm away
- METAR
- PAHO 191553Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 12/09 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP130 T01220094
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.0 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.
Other investigations on N9314D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.