Incident Overview
On May 14, 2011, at 1430 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-201 airplane, registration N204ND, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Grand Forks International Airport (KGFK), Grand Forks, North Dakota. The airplane was operated by the University of North Dakota under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight instructor and student were not injured. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the flight was conducted without a flight plan.
Flight Details
The local instructional flight originated from KGFK at 1300. The student, who was working toward a flight instructor certificate, was flying from the right seat while the flight instructor supervised. The student was practicing a simulated forced landing to runway 35L.
Accident Sequence
The flight instructor reported that after a "firm" touchdown, the airplane began to veer to the right. He observed that the right wing was lower than the left wing and initially suspected a flat right tire. After coming to a stop, the airplane would not move forward without an excessive application of engine power. The engine was shut down, and the flight crew requested a tow from the control tower.
Postaccident Inspection
Upon exiting the airplane, the flight instructor noticed that the right main landing gear had collapsed rearward during the landing. A postaccident inspection revealed substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The right main landing gear strut assembly was fully extended at the accident site; however, when examined by the operator, the strut assembly exhibited no material failure, corrosion, or binding. Interviews with recent flight crews did not reveal any hard landings that could have damaged the right main landing gear before the accident flight.