N1396DCessna 170A · 1951

On June 2, 2022, at about 1300 central daylight time, a Cessna 170A, N1396D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight.

The pilot reported that wind was 010° at 7 knots with thunderstorms in the vicinity. He described the approach as stable despite some significant thermal and downdraft activity. During touchdown the airplane banked slightly to the left, the left wheel touched down hard due to a downdraft, and the airplane bounced. The pilot reported that when the left wheel touched the runway a second time, the airplane jerked aggressively to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and full power to abort the landing, after which he could not recall what immediately followed. The airplane came to rest on its right main wheel, tail wheel, and left wing, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing spar.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the scene of the accident. The inspector reported that evidence indicated that the airplane landed in the center of the runway, departed towards the left into a grassy area, and then returned to the runway where the left main landing gear separated from the fuselage. The FAA inspector found a nut in the fuselage near the landing gear attach point that appeared to be from the bolt that is used to attach the landing gear strut (gear leg) to the airplane. The nut had thread damage and the bolt that holds the landing gear strut to the airplane was not found.

The wreckage was recovered to a salvage facility where an additional examination was performed. Each main landing gear strut on the accident airplane was fixed in place by two bulkhead assemblies. The landing gear struts were slotted through the outboard bulkhead assembly and held to the inner bulkhead by a bolt.

Examination of the left landing gear attach point revealed that the top of the outboard bulkhead assembly was broken off and not present. The fractured surfaces on the lower remaining portion of the outer bulkhead assembly were visually consistent with an overload event. Additional damage was present in the floor above the outer bulkhead assembly. The fuselage skin around the outer bulkhead assembly was torn and deformed. The left landing gear strut was damaged on the bottom aft side near where it was mounted in the outboard bulkhead assembly. The brake caliper mount exhibited impact damage. There was grass present between the tire and rim of the left wheel and tire assembly. The right main landing gear was intact with no damage noted.

Maintenance logs for the accident airplane were provided. No maintenance entries were found regarding removal or installation of the main landing gear struts.