What happened
The aircraft was conducting a touch-and-go landing when the left main landing gear separated from the airframe. Following this initial failure, the aircraft made a subsequent landing which resulted in further damage to the structure.
At the time of the incident, the weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The pilot had not filed a flight plan prior to the operation.
The investigation
Examination of the failed components revealed that the left main landing gear bolts had failed due to overload. Metallurgical analysis showed no evidence of fatigue in the bolts, indicating a sudden catastrophic failure rather than progressive wear.
No report was filed by the pilot regarding the incident.