Incident Overview
A pilot reported that during the landing approach, the landing appeared normal. During the flare, the airplane encountered wind shear and landed hard. The pilot added power and initiated a go-around. Shortly after, a banging noise was heard from beneath the airplane, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency. The pilot opted to return to the airport and conducted an emergency landing on a grassy area adjacent to the runway. During this landing, the airplane settled onto the right wing.
Details of the Landing Gear Failure
Following the incident, the pilot examined the airplane and determined that the right main landing gear had separated during the hard landing. The gear remained attached to the airplane only by the brake line. A closer inspection revealed that the two upper torque link attach lugs on the right main landing gear strut cylinder (part number 65319-04) had fractured. The fracture surfaces exhibited beach marks, ratchet marks, and discoloration, indicating that the cracks existed prior to the incident flight.
Service Bulletin Compliance
Investigation into the part history showed that on August 18, 2003, the airplane manufacturer (Piper) issued Service Bulletin 1131. This bulletin called for an inspection of the main landing gear cylinder upper torque link attach lugs for cracks in the area where the subject cylinder failed. The service bulletin had not been performed on the accident airplane.