Piper PA-28-181 N4376H

Summary

On 1 June 2023 at about 17:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N4376H was involved in an accident near Pellston, Michigan, 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

1 June 2023 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Pellston, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Pellston Rgnl/Emmet County (PLN)

Coordinates

45.5700, -84.7992

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N4376H

Category

Airplane

Year built

1984

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Harbor Springs → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA217

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the left main landing gear strut and clevises due to fatigue cracks that initiated at multiple casting solidification voids.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot had completed two touch and go landings. On takeoff after the second landing, they heard an unusual thumping sound or a bang. Due to the unusual noise, the flight instructor elected to perform a precautionary landing. During the approach for a precautionary landing, the airport manager observed that the left main landing gear wheel assembly was hanging from the landing gear strut by the brake line and advised the flight instructor via radio not to land. The flight instructor then diverted to another airport due to the availability of increased airport fire and rescue services. The airplane landed on the runway centerline with the partially separated left main landing gear assembly and sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination revealed the landing gear strut housing and clevises were fractured at the upper torque link connection. Metallurgical examination revealed the strut and clevises fractured from fatigue cracks that had initiated along the radius of the clevis arms within the inner machined surface. These cracks initiated at multiple casting solidification voids and silicon-rich phases. The cracks propagated through the clevis cross-sections until the remaining cross-sections fractured from overstress.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.