- Date
- February 20, 1993, 10:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bakersfield, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9750KPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930220003069A
- Case key
- 27929
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 overload failure of the right main landing gear strut attach bolts due to a hard landing. The hard landing was the result of the student misjudging the landing flare, and, the inadequate supervision of the flight by the flight instructor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to the flight instructor, the dual primary instructional flight departed the airport and performed some airwork in a nearby practice area then returned to do some touch and go traffic pattern operations. On the third touch and go landing roll, he said 'I depressed the brakes and felt and heard the right landing gear 'give.'' The right main landing gear collapsed, puncturing the wing with the strut. Ground based witnesses at the airport reported that on the second touch and go prior to the accident landing, the aircraft made a 'very noticeable hard landing.' The aircraft was examined by an FAA airworthiness inspector who reported that the bolts which secure the landing gear strut to the wing spar appeared to have failed in shear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9750K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7816192
- Airframe hours
- 4,631
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- S & S Flight Center
- Registered owner
- Sherry Matteucci
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 1993 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- L45
- Destination
- L45
- Airport
- L45 · Bakersfield Municipal, runway 34, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 826 total · 576 in this make and model · 772 as pilot in command · 72 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BFL, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.