Incident Overview
During an instructional flight focused on landing practice, a firm touchdown resulted in structural damage to the left wing of the aircraft. The flight instructor reported performing a total of 15-16 landings that day with two different students.
Flight Details
The second flight of the day was conducted with a student preparing for a commercial pilot practical exam, practicing short field and 180-degree power-off landings. The 10th landing of this flight was a 180-degree power-off landing demonstrated by the instructor. After landing on the 1000-foot markers, the instructor executed a touch-and-go and raised the landing gear after obtaining a positive rate of climb. However, the landing gear transition light remained illuminated. The instructor cycled the gear several more times without resolving the issue. The flight then performed a full stop, and both pilots visually inspected the landing gear. They could not identify any problem with the switches and deferred the issue to maintenance.
Mechanical Findings
Maintenance personnel examined the landing gear system and discovered buckled wing ribs near the left main landing gear. This damage prevented the up-limit switch from closing, which in turn caused the landing gear transition light to remain illuminated. The maintenance technicians stated that the damage could have been caused by either a hard landing or a landing with excessive side loading.