On April 4, 2004, an Antonov AN-32 (registration EP-837) operated by Peruvian Armed Forces - Ejército del Perú was involved in an aviation accident near Puerto Esperenza, Peru during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft's landing gear was torn from the airframe due to the force of a heavy landing. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft sustained significant damage after a heavy landing caused the landing gear to detach from the airframe.
What happened
During the landing phase of the flight, the aircraft experienced an unusually forceful impact with the runway. This heavy touchdown resulted in the structural failure of the landing gear, causing the undercarriage to be torn away from the aircraft.
While the impact was severe enough to cause substantial damage to the airframe, there were no fatalities or injuries reported among the occupants. Following the incident, the aircraft was inspected and determined to be a total loss, as the damage was categorized as beyond economical repair.
Findings
The primary cause of the structural damage was a hard landing.
The impact force was sufficient to separate the undercarriage from the main body of the aircraft.
Probable cause
The aircraft's landing gear was torn from the airframe due to the force of a heavy landing.