No fatalities

14 Jul 2009: PIPER PA-28R-180 — New Mexico Flying Eagle Inc. — Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ, United States

On 14 Jul 2009, a PIPER PA-28R-180 operated by New Mexico Flying Eagle Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Tucson, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: A hard landing or abnormal runway contact by one or both pilots. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

After a training flight with a CFI, a pilot discovered a crack on the wing above the right landing gear aft mount. Further inspection revealed substantial damage to the upper right wing and right main landing gear attachment point.

Incident Overview

A pilot and a certified flight instructor (CFI) conducted a flight consisting of practice maneuvers for a commercial pilot license, followed by five landings. After parking the airplane, the pilot observed a crack on the wing above the right landing gear aft mount. A subsequent examination of the airframe identified substantial damage to the upper right wing and the right main landing gear attachment point.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane's airframe or engine occurred prior to the incident. The preflight inspection and weather check had been completed before departure, and no anomalies were noted during the flight or the five landings performed.

Contributing factors

Flight crewLanding flare