What happened
The flight originated at Quinhagak, Alaska. During the takeoff roll, the pilot experienced a noticeable bump. Despite this anomaly, the aircraft became airborne and the pilot circled the runway to inspect the area but observed no debris or issues from the air.
The aircraft subsequently landed at Eek, Alaska. Upon touchdown, the airplane veered sharply to the right and departed the paved surface of the runway. Post-incident inspection revealed that the lower assembly of the right main landing gear strut was completely missing. The detached components were later located at the departure airport in Quinhagak.
The investigation
A detailed examination of the recovered parts from the landing gear assembly was conducted to determine the cause of the separation. The analysis focused on the structural integrity and failure points of the mechanical connections within the strut.
Findings
The investigation determined that the right main landing gear lower strut assembly had failed during flight. The examination of the retrieved parts confirmed that the center torque link bolt had fractured, leading to the complete detachment of the assembly. This mechanical failure occurred prior to the landing at Eek, contributing to the aircraft's departure from the runway upon touchdown.
Safety message
Proper pre-flight and post-maintenance inspections are critical to identifying potential fatigue or structural weaknesses in landing gear components before they lead to in-flight failures.