Synopsis
On August 20, 2009, about 2020 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150, registration N6038D, experienced a main landing gear collapse while landing at Tacoma-Narrows Airport in Tacoma, Washington. The airplane, which was equipped with a tailwheel, sustained substantial damage. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, departing Paine Field in Everett, Washington, at approximately 1915 with a planned destination of Tacoma. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Accident Details
The pilot reported that during a crosswind landing, the right main landing gear strut collapsed. Shortly after a wheel landing with the right wing low, the pilot heard the right "gear leg pop." Winds were from 210 degrees at 8 to 12 knots, and the landing was on runway 17. The accident resulted in substantial damage to the gear support structure and associated gearbox.
Post-Accident Examination
The forward right landing gear strut attachment fitting was removed and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. A Safety Board Senior Metallurgist determined that the fracture faces displayed features and deformations consistent with overstress separations. No indications of preexisting cracking or corrosion were detected. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane's flight control systems prior to the accident.
The Materials Laboratory Factual Report is included in the public docket for this accident.