Piper PA-31-350 N4105D

Summary

On 15 September 2000 at about 03:10 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N4105D was involved in an accident near Emmonak, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 September 2000 at 03:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Emmonak, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Emmonak (PAEM)

Coordinates

62.7897, -164.5498

Aircraft

Piper PA-31-350

Registration

N4105D

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Alakanuk → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC00LA133

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's continued operation of the airplane on unsuitable terrain, and the subsequent failure of the main landing gear torque link. Factors in the accident were rough and uneven runways, and inadequate surveillance of airport facilities/runway conditions by company management.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport certificated pilot was landing a twin engine airplane on a rough, gravel runway that contained potholes. The commuter flight had just departed a similar, rough runway. During the landing roll, the airplane rolled down the runway for about 600 feet. The right main landing gear wheel then rotated about 90 degrees in its landing gear strut housing, and slid along the surface of the gravel runway for several hundred feet. The lower landing gear strut and wheel then broke away from the upper strut housing. The right wing settled onto the runway. The right propeller tips, and the trailing edge of the right flap were damaged. The right wing attach points for the landing gear were not damaged. Upon inspection of the airplane, a torque link, installed on the right main landing gear strut, was found fractured at the outer pivot bolt hole. An metallurgical examination of the torque link revealed a fracture through the pivot point of the link with features typical of overstress separation. No evidence of preexisting conditions, such as crack arrest marks, or corrosion damage was found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.