History of Flight
On 10 July 2012 at approximately 0545Z, an instructor and student departed from Port Alfred Airport (FAPP) for a training flight in a Piper PA34-200, registration ZS-ISD. After about two hours of training exercises, the undercarriage was selected down for landing. The down-and-locked indicators showed green for the nose and right main landing gear, but no light for the left main landing gear. The instructor recycled the undercarriage and attempted emergency extension, which did not change the condition. A fly-past was conducted, and ATC confirmed that all three landing gear appeared extended, including the left main gear.
Emergency Landing
An emergency was declared. During a normal approach to Runway 28L, the aircraft touched down first on the right main landing gear. As the left main landing gear contacted the runway surface, it collapsed. The aircraft veered left for approximately 100 metres, departing the runway onto grass before coming to rest.
Damage and Injuries
The aircraft sustained minor damage to the left wing underside and the left engine propeller blades. The instructor and student were uninjured.
Aircraft and Maintenance Information
The aircraft, a 1972 Piper PA34-200 (serial number 34-7250147), had a total of 13,180.0 airframe hours at the time of the accident. The last mandatory periodic inspection (MPI) was conducted on 5 June 2012 at 13,172.0 hours, which included an undercarriage inspection. The aircraft had flown 8.0 hours since that inspection. The operator reported no prior undercarriage defects.
Component Failure
Post-accident inspection by the responsible aircraft maintenance organisation (AMO) revealed that the left main landing gear bracket (part number 67031-02) had failed. The bracket was the original part, with no serial number, and had accumulated approximately 6,371.0 hours since installation.