Incident Overview
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified structural damage to a training airplane during a ramp inspection. The damage included a separation of the left wing's false spar just aft of the left main landing gear, cracked left wing support ribs, and displaced rivets on the top surface skin.
Inspection and Flight History
The airplane's most recent annual inspection had been performed approximately 22 flight hours prior to the discovery of the damage. The operator reported being unaware of when, where, or who caused the damage to the aircraft.
The last flight of the airplane was conducted by a certified flight instructor (CFI) and a pilot undergoing commercial instruction. During that abbreviated flight, the CFI made a precautionary landing without mishap after takeoff because the landing gear in transit light remained illuminated following gear retraction. The CFI noted that the gear in transit light had been intermittently illuminated on various flights over the previous several days.
Administrative Note
The date, time, and location referenced for this event correspond to the last flight and are used for computer entry purposes only. A determination was not made regarding the identity of the pilot(s) that caused the damage to the training airplane.