FTW96LA283

Factual narrative

On June 29, 1996, at 0855 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N7859W, registered to a private owner and operated by Pro Flight of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was substantially damaged while landing near Tulsa, Oklahoma. The solo student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated about 30 minutes before the accident. According to the operator, the student pilot had been cleared by his flight instructor to practice touch and go landings in the traffic pattern at the Richard Lloyd Jones Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The student pilot completed two uneventful touch and go landings on runway 19R. On the third landing, the airplane landed hard, collapsing the nose landing gear. Control was lost and the airplane veered off the runway. While regaining control, the airplane struck an object with the underside of the left wing. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the main spar on the left wing. On the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report, the pilot stated that the "nose strut collapsed causing the aircraft to abnormally nose down and dart to the left veering off the runway." The pilot denied that the aircraft had landed hard on his third and final landing. Examination of the nose landing gear strut by the operator did not disclose any defects or anomalies that could have contributed to its collapse. The strut was serviced and released for flight. The student pilot was on a local solo flight, practicing landings. During his third touch-and-go landing, the airplane touched down hard, and the nose gear collapsed. Control was lost and the airplane veered off the runway. The underside of the left wing impacted an object, resulting in structural damage. The student stated that the loss of control was the result of a collapsed nose gear strut. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12