Cessna 182 N5358B accident near Romeo, Michigan

Probable cause

The misjudged landing flare by the pilot, and the inadequate landing gear inspection/repair procedure used by other maintenance personnel, resulting in the failure of the main landing gear strut during landing.

NTSB analysis

The airplane's main landing gear struts were replaced with repaired struts during a maintenance inspection. The FAA Form 337 associated with the repair states that the landing gear was checked for correct contour configuration and strength, and had undergone a magnetic particle inspection, but does not cite the approved data used for the repair. The left landing gear strut separated during a hard landing about 341 hours after it had been installed. The pilot aborted the landing, and flew to another airport where the airplane landed without the left main landing gear. The horizontal stabilizer was damaged during the initial landing attempt when the left landing gear separated, and struck the horizontal stabilizer. Metallurgical examination of the landing gear showed an altered micro structural layer adjacent to the surface, indicative of excessive thermal input such as welding. The strut portion showed that most of the exterior surface contained an intact layer of white paint. In many locations throughout the strut, the paint appeared to have been applied to an irregular or pitted surface.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CHI08LA115 for the full record.