Narrative:

On jan/sat/99, at approximately XX00 am, I obtained the aircraft book containing the keys and the hobbs readout for small aircraft at FBO. I planned a flight to la verne brackett, and drove out to where the airplane was parked on the airport. As is my normal procedure, I performed a preflight inspection, checking for any abnormalities or problems with the aircraft. As part of the preflight checklist items, I inspected the wheels, struts, and brakes of the plane. At the time of preflight, I did not detect anything visibly wrong with the airplane. After obtaining my clearance, I contacted ground control, and was cleared to taxi to the mid-field run-up area. As is my standard procedure, I performed the run-up as the aircraft manual specifies. I then asked ground for clearance to taxi for takeoff, and it was granted. Ground control advised me to contact tower, who instructed me to taxi to, and hold short of runway 19L at taxiway K. However, prior to holding short, tower advised me to continue across runway 19L and hold short of runway 19R. Almost immediately, the tower advised me to taxi onto runway 19R and hold, pending departure. Shortly thereafter, I was cleared for takeoff. I applied full power, checked my gauges, and found all to be normal. Upon lifting off the runway, I heard a noise, which resembled that of a loose tow bar in the baggage compartment. Within seconds the tower contacted me and told me that the main landing gear from the aircraft I was flying had fallen off and was lying on the runway. Due to a minimal amount of runway remaining, I opted to continue my climb to a safe altitude and waited for further instructions from the tower. The controller asked me to climb to 1500 ft and hold east of the airport. Shortly thereafter, they gave me instructions to continue my climb to 2500 ft. As I was complying with the controller's request, I asked that someone contact my instrument flight instructor, CFI at FBO. Within 5 mins, CFI contacted me on the tower frequency, and we were able to talk with each other. While I was circling, tower advised me that FBO would be contacting the owner, small aircraft, for his input on the way he wanted the situation handled. At approximately XX45 am, CFI contacted me on the frequency and asked that I do a low fly-by over runway 19R so that they might get a better idea of how much of the airplane's gear was remaining. After my low approach, I climbed back to an altitude of 2500 ft and continued circling east of the airport. When I asked CFI what was remaining of the landing gear, he advised me that the main gear had fallen off the airplane and the only thing remaining was the struts. At approximately XX09 told me that I should prepare to land at XX30 pm. Within the next 20 mins, I reviewed my emergency checklist and also received coaching. At XX30 pm, I advised the tower that I was going to begin my approach, at which time the controller told me emergency personnel was standing by and that I was cleared to land. I landed on runway 19R, and skidded approximately 300 ft, where the aircraft came to stop with minimal damage sustained. I was immediately surrounded by emergency personnel and was escorted away from the aircraft. The aircraft was eventually hoisted off the runway and moved to FBO, located on the side of the airport. At FBO the aircraft was lowered onto the wheels that had been retrieved from the runway. I was then able to examine the airplane with one of the mechanics. The mechanic had me crawl under the plane and he showed me an obscure area where a bolt had been missing. He advised me that this same bolt had also been missing from the other main gear. Later CFI advised that prior to my flying this aircraft it had just returned from a 100 hour maintenance inspection, which was performed at FBO. This information was documented and pictures were taken of the schedule book, which verifies that her statement was true. It appears that when the aircraft received the 100 hour inspection, bolts were removed from the main gear and they were nor replaced. This is something that would not be visible during a preflight inspection, but is rather a maintenance issue. One report was taken in regards to this incident by local law officer. At that time, officer advised me that the FAA would be handling this as an 'incident report' as opposed to an 'accident report,' due to minimal damage to aircraft.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE LNDG GEAR FELL OFF DURING TKOF OF A PIPER WARRIOR, PA28-161 CAUSING THE PLT TO CIRCLE AND LAND WITHOUT GEAR, ONLY ON GEAR STRUTS. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE SOLO OCCUPANT AND ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENT ACFT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE MAIN GEAR RETAINING BOLTS HAD FALLEN OUT ALLOWING THE LNDG GEAR TO DROP OFF DURING TKOF.

Narrative: ON JAN/SAT/99, AT APPROX XX00 AM, I OBTAINED THE ACFT BOOK CONTAINING THE KEYS AND THE HOBBS READOUT FOR SMA AT FBO. I PLANNED A FLT TO LA VERNE BRACKETT, AND DROVE OUT TO WHERE THE AIRPLANE WAS PARKED ON THE ARPT. AS IS MY NORMAL PROC, I PERFORMED A PREFLT INSPECTION, CHKING FOR ANY ABNORMALITIES OR PROBS WITH THE ACFT. AS PART OF THE PREFLT CHKLIST ITEMS, I INSPECTED THE WHEELS, STRUTS, AND BRAKES OF THE PLANE. AT THE TIME OF PREFLT, I DID NOT DETECT ANYTHING VISIBLY WRONG WITH THE AIRPLANE. AFTER OBTAINING MY CLRNC, I CONTACTED GND CTL, AND WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO THE MID-FIELD RUN-UP AREA. AS IS MY STANDARD PROC, I PERFORMED THE RUN-UP AS THE ACFT MANUAL SPECIFIES. I THEN ASKED GND FOR CLRNC TO TAXI FOR TKOF, AND IT WAS GRANTED. GND CTL ADVISED ME TO CONTACT TWR, WHO INSTRUCTED ME TO TAXI TO, AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 19L AT TXWY K. HOWEVER, PRIOR TO HOLDING SHORT, TWR ADVISED ME TO CONTINUE ACROSS RWY 19L AND HOLD SHORT OF RWY 19R. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, THE TWR ADVISED ME TO TAXI ONTO RWY 19R AND HOLD, PENDING DEP. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, I WAS CLRED FOR TKOF. I APPLIED FULL PWR, CHKED MY GAUGES, AND FOUND ALL TO BE NORMAL. UPON LIFTING OFF THE RWY, I HEARD A NOISE, WHICH RESEMBLED THAT OF A LOOSE TOW BAR IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. WITHIN SECONDS THE TWR CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THE MAIN LNDG GEAR FROM THE ACFT I WAS FLYING HAD FALLEN OFF AND WAS LYING ON THE RWY. DUE TO A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF RWY REMAINING, I OPTED TO CONTINUE MY CLB TO A SAFE ALT AND WAITED FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE TWR. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO CLB TO 1500 FT AND HOLD E OF THE ARPT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THEY GAVE ME INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTINUE MY CLB TO 2500 FT. AS I WAS COMPLYING WITH THE CTLR'S REQUEST, I ASKED THAT SOMEONE CONTACT MY INST FLT INSTRUCTOR, CFI AT FBO. WITHIN 5 MINS, CFI CONTACTED ME ON THE TWR FREQ, AND WE WERE ABLE TO TALK WITH EACH OTHER. WHILE I WAS CIRCLING, TWR ADVISED ME THAT FBO WOULD BE CONTACTING THE OWNER, SMA, FOR HIS INPUT ON THE WAY HE WANTED THE SIT HANDLED. AT APPROX XX45 AM, CFI CONTACTED ME ON THE FREQ AND ASKED THAT I DO A LOW FLY-BY OVER RWY 19R SO THAT THEY MIGHT GET A BETTER IDEA OF HOW MUCH OF THE AIRPLANE'S GEAR WAS REMAINING. AFTER MY LOW APCH, I CLBED BACK TO AN ALT OF 2500 FT AND CONTINUED CIRCLING E OF THE ARPT. WHEN I ASKED CFI WHAT WAS REMAINING OF THE LNDG GEAR, HE ADVISED ME THAT THE MAIN GEAR HAD FALLEN OFF THE AIRPLANE AND THE ONLY THING REMAINING WAS THE STRUTS. AT APPROX XX09 TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD PREPARE TO LAND AT XX30 PM. WITHIN THE NEXT 20 MINS, I REVIEWED MY EMER CHKLIST AND ALSO RECEIVED COACHING. AT XX30 PM, I ADVISED THE TWR THAT I WAS GOING TO BEGIN MY APCH, AT WHICH TIME THE CTLR TOLD ME EMER PERSONNEL WAS STANDING BY AND THAT I WAS CLRED TO LAND. I LANDED ON RWY 19R, AND SKIDDED APPROX 300 FT, WHERE THE ACFT CAME TO STOP WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE SUSTAINED. I WAS IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDED BY EMER PERSONNEL AND WAS ESCORTED AWAY FROM THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS EVENTUALLY HOISTED OFF THE RWY AND MOVED TO FBO, LOCATED ON THE SIDE OF THE ARPT. AT FBO THE ACFT WAS LOWERED ONTO THE WHEELS THAT HAD BEEN RETRIEVED FROM THE RWY. I WAS THEN ABLE TO EXAMINE THE AIRPLANE WITH ONE OF THE MECHS. THE MECH HAD ME CRAWL UNDER THE PLANE AND HE SHOWED ME AN OBSCURE AREA WHERE A BOLT HAD BEEN MISSING. HE ADVISED ME THAT THIS SAME BOLT HAD ALSO BEEN MISSING FROM THE OTHER MAIN GEAR. LATER CFI ADVISED THAT PRIOR TO MY FLYING THIS ACFT IT HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A 100 HR MAINT INSPECTION, WHICH WAS PERFORMED AT FBO. THIS INFO WAS DOCUMENTED AND PICTURES WERE TAKEN OF THE SCHEDULE BOOK, WHICH VERIFIES THAT HER STATEMENT WAS TRUE. IT APPEARS THAT WHEN THE ACFT RECEIVED THE 100 HR INSPECTION, BOLTS WERE REMOVED FROM THE MAIN GEAR AND THEY WERE NOR REPLACED. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD NOT BE VISIBLE DURING A PREFLT INSPECTION, BUT IS RATHER A MAINT ISSUE. ONE RPT WAS TAKEN IN REGARDS TO THIS INCIDENT BY LCL LAW OFFICER. AT THAT TIME, OFFICER ADVISED ME THAT THE FAA WOULD BE HANDLING THIS AS AN 'INCIDENT RPT' AS OPPOSED TO AN 'ACCIDENT RPT,' DUE TO MINIMAL DAMAGE TO ACFT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.