Piper PA28RT N8320H

Summary

On 2 February 2020 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA28RT registered N8320H was involved in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida, United States. 2 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

2 February 2020 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Page Field (FMY)

Coordinates

26.5872, -81.8619

Aircraft

Piper PA28RT

Registration

N8320H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Venice → Fort Myers

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20CA103

Nobody was injured.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.