Incident Details
On 20 August 2002 at 08:30 local time, a Piper PA-36-375 (registration EC-EYO) was taxiing from the loading area to the runway at Las Brujas airstrip in the municipality of Puebla del Rio, Seville. The aircraft, configured for agricultural aerial application (crop dusting), was executing a left turn when its right main landing gear wheel entered a hole in the taxiway surface. The impact caused the right main gear leg to fracture at its attachment point with the fuselage.
As the leg separated, the aircraft settled onto its right wing, and the propeller contacted the ground. The pilot, a 36-year-old commercial pilot with 3,500 total flight hours, was uninjured.
Damage
Inspection revealed damage to the right main landing gear leg, the propeller, the right wing and flap, and the right boom (pértiga). The aircraft sustained minor damage overall.
Investigation Findings
Visual examination of the failed landing gear leg showed no evidence of material fatigue. The structural failure was attributed to the impact load transmitted through the wheel when it struck the hole. The resulting bending moment at the fuselage attachment exceeded the leg's strength, causing the break. No other contributing factors were identified.