Incident Overview
A pilot reported that during landing on runway 30, a sudden bump was felt. Immediately thereafter, the aircraft began an uncommanded yaw to the left, and the pilot noted that the right main landing gear had separated from the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently came to rest on its side.
Runway and Aircraft Examination
An immediate inspection of the accident site revealed no sign of debris or potholes on the runway surface. An on-site examination of the aircraft found that the bolt which attached the landing gear spring to the fuselage had been bent, fractured, and distorted at an approximate 45-degree angle. The support assembly had also been fractured.
Laboratory Analysis
The bolt and a portion of the separated support assembly from the right main landing gear were sent to the Safety Board Materials Laboratory for testing. Detailed examination showed that the fracture surface on the bolt revealed no evidence of progressive cracking or preexisting defects. All fracture features and deformation on the bolt pieces were consistent with an overstress under bending/tension loading conditions. Examination of the bracket for the support assembly, conducted with the aid of a binocular microscope, disclosed fracture features typical of a direct shear overstress separation.