Incident Details
An aircraft experienced a collapse of the left main landing gear during the landing rollout sequence. The pilot, who also served as a mechanic, reported that the strut housing had cracked and failed just below the point where the trunion web ends. The incident prompted a review of maintenance records.
Maintenance History
The affected aircraft, registered as N975DA, had no record of compliance with Piper Aircraft Corporation Service Bulletin 787A, dated August 15, 1985. This service bulletin requires an inspection of the landing gear housing just below the trunion web for cracks every 100 flight hours. The inspection is not required if a new landing gear strut housing is installed in which the trunion web extends the length of the housing. The absence of compliance documentation in the aircraft's logbooks was noted.
Safety Recommendation
On June 22, 1990, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued Safety Recommendation A-90-92 to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The recommendation urged the FAA to make Piper Service Bulletin 787A mandatory through the issuance of an Airworthiness Directive (AD).