On July 24, 1998, a Piper PA-28R-201 (registration N177ND) was involved in an aviation accident near Salina, KS. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot failed to flare the airplane properly and the airplane landed hard. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported that after the main landing gear touched down, he released the yoke forward, causing the nose to contact the runway and the airplane to skid to the right across the runway and onto the grass.
Incident Overview
During the landing approach, the pilot reported that the airplane was approximately 10 feet above the runway when he began the flare. After the main landing gear contacted the runway, he let the yoke go forward. According to his account, the nose of the airplane then contacted the runway, and the aircraft began skidding to the right. The skid continued across the entire width of the runway and onto the adjacent grass.
Damage Assessment
Post-incident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear forward trunnion bearing had fractured downward, while the aft trunnion bearing fractured upward. This failure pattern resulted in damage to the top side of the right wing. The same forces also caused damage to the top side of the left wing.