Incident Overview
On June 24, 2016, at 1130 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, registration N3024C, was substantially damaged during taxi operations at Dutchess County Airport (POU) in Poughkeepsie, New York. The airplane was operated by West Field Flight Academy under 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
Sequence of Events
According to the flight instructor, after landing on runway 6, he contacted the air traffic control tower and requested to taxi on the crossing runway to the ramp. The airplane taxied about 3,000 feet down the runway. Just prior to the turn, the airplane began to veer to the left. The flight instructor heard a metallic sound, and the left main landing gear collapsed, bringing the airplane to a stop. The instructor informed the tower controller, performed an engine shutdown, and exited with the student pilot. Neither occupant was injured.
Examination Findings
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane. The left main landing gear strut had separated from the wing spar attachment. The wing spar was bent upward. Examination of the landing gear strut revealed that the attaching bolts had sheared in the vicinity of the threads. The fracture features of the bolts displayed signatures consistent with overstress failure.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-28-181 is a single-engine general aviation aircraft. The specific airplane, N3024C, was registered to and operated by West Field Flight Academy.
Weather and Conditions
Visual meteorological conditions were reported at the time of the incident. No other weather details were provided in the source.
Aftermath
The aircraft was substantially damaged but no injuries occurred. The investigation focused on the mechanical failure of the landing gear attachment bolts.