Piper PA-28-181 N728A accident near Jeffersonville, Indiana

Probable cause

A loss of directional control due to failure of the landing gear attachment hardware for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that, while performing takeoff and landing practice, the airplane touched down normally, then began drifting to the right, and both he and the student pilot attempted to correct without success. The airplane continued off the right side of the runway, and the right main landing gear impacted a runway light and separated from the airplane.

The runway light was mounted on a concrete base that protruded from the ground about 1 inch and the stanchion, which was a small pipe, broke at the threads at its base. Based on these observations, the runway light should not have resulted in complete separation of the landing gear.

Examination of remnants of three of the eight bolts that secured the landing gear to the wing spar revealed fracture features consistent with overstress. The five remaining bolts were not recovered, and their failure mode could not be determined.

The circumstances of the accident were consistent with a loss of directional control due to the failure of the right main landing gear attachment hardware for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

The airplane manufacturer relayed information regarding landing gear collapses on similar model airplanes, including one landing gear separation, due to fatigue and corrosion of the landing gear mounting hardware. About 7 months after this accident, the manufacturer issued a service bulletin requiring replacement of landing gear attachment hardware on various models, including the accident airplane model.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN21LA353 for the full record.