NTSB ANC25LA087 — 2025-08-19 · Homer, Alaska, United States

Current FAA registration · N9314D

Make / Model: PIPER PA-22-160
Year of manufacture: 1958 · 67 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19580812
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S ACEC48

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N9314D Piper PA-22-160 None

Probable cause & findings

The failure of the left main landing gear mount due to extensive corrosion while landing in an area of rough terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane at a remote airstrip, the airplane encountered an area of rough and uneven terrain and the main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to both wing lift struts and the fuselage near the left main landing gear mount. After exiting the airplane, the pilot observed that the left main gear had fractured at the fuselage attach point. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Photos of the fracture surfaces from the main landing gear spring and fuselage attach point exhibited features that were consistent with extensive corrosion. It is likely that a fatigue crack initiated due to the corrosion damage at the fracture origin. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main landing gear attach sec-Fatigue/wear/corrosion
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Rough terrain-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_ANC25LA087.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.