- Date
- February 2, 2020, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Myers, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8320HPiper PA28RT
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 27, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200202002939A
- Case key
- 100954
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 fracture of the right main landing gear torque link bolt on landing, which resulted in the landing gear assembly rotating freely, the subsequent loss of directional control, and the landing gear collapsing.
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 reported that, at the conclusion of an uneventful flight, he approached the runway for landing. During touchdown, the airplane veered right, the left main landing gear (MLG) collapsed, the left wing contacted the runway, and the airplane then came to rest. The left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right MLG wheel assembly was free to rotate about the strut and that the torque link bolt securing the MLG torque link had fractured and was corroded. The landing gear and separated bolt were not examined further.
Factual narrative
At the conclusion of an uneventful flight, the commercial pilot approached the runway for landing. During touchdown, the airplane veered right and the left wing contacted the runway before the airplane came to rest. During the accident sequence the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing and fuselage were substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear wheel assembly was free to rotate about the strut, and the bolt securing the torque link had fractured and had a corroded appearance. The landing gear and separated bolt were not examined in further detail.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8320H
- Reported as
- Piper PA28RT (201T)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-8131057
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 8,363.4
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-FB, 201 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 28, 2019
- Departed
- VNC · Venice, FL
- Destination
- FMY · Fort Myers, FL
- Airport
- FMY · Page Field, runway 31, 4,912 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Handheld GPS
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 692.5 total · 395.6 in this make and model · 599.7 as pilot in command · 14.8 in the last 90 days · 10.6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- FMY
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 4, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 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 N8320H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.