- Date
- June 2, 2021, 20:50 local (Jun 3, 2021, 01:50 UTC)
- Place
- San Angelo, TX · on runway
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2120JPiper PA-28-161
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20210602007509A
- Case key
- 103233
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
Inadequate maintenance of the left main landing gear strut, which resulted in a landing gear collapse.
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 flight instructor stated that, during the landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered left, which damaged the left wing. Examination of the left main landing gear strut revealed that several mounting holes were elongated, consistent with wear over an extended period, and several bolts were missing. The landing gear strut’s missing bolts and loose hardware likely resulted in the failure of the remaining fasteners to support the airplane’s weight and resulted in the landing gear collapse. Although the airplane’s maintenance records were not made available for review and the maintenance history of the landing gear could not be determined, the elongated mounting holes and missing bolts were consistent with maintenance personnel’s failure to ensure that proper torque was applied to the landing gear strut hardware.
Factual narrative
On June 2, 2021, about 2050 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161 airplane, N2120J, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near San Angelo, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The instructor stated that, during the landing roll, he noticed the left wing lower as if the tire was flat. The airplane subsequently veered left, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed a hole on top of the left wing where the left main landing gear strut assembly had broken loose from the upper left wing spar cap. Several mounting holes in the left main landing gear strut were elongated, consistent with wear over an extended period of time. Several landing gear strut mounting bolts were loose, and all bolts were missing from the lower strut assembly mount. During removal of the left main landing gear strut assembly from the left wing, only the brake line remained attached, with no other hardware securing the left main landing gear strut to the left wing. The airplane’s maintenance records were not made available for review, and the maintenance history of the landing gear could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2120J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7916198
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 8,168
- Engine
- Lycoming O320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Nuytten Patrick
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 21, 2021 · 78 hours before
- Departed
- SJT · San Angelo, TX
- Airport
- SJT · San Angelo Regional Airport, runway 18, 8,054 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 22, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 437 total · 22 in this make and model · 34 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 6 total · 6 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KSJT
- METAR
- KSJT 030151Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 20/17 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP125 T02000167
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 29, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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 N2120J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.