Piper PA-28-181 accident near Winston Salem, North Carolina, April 7, 2013
On April 7, 2013 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N3060B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Winston Salem, North Carolina (Smith Reynolds Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fatigue failure of the right main landing gear attach bolts due to an unreported hard landing at an unknown time, and subsequent collapse of the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2013 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Winston Salem, North Carolina · Smith Reynolds Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N3060B · registry record · serial 28-7990139
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing in gusty wind conditions, the fixed right main landing gear collapsed during rollout. Metallurgical examination of the right main landing gear trunion revealed extensive wear, fretting, hole elongation, and disturbed metal around the holes of the lower trunion flange. Additionally, two bolt heads were recovered from the lower flange holes and exhibited fatigue at their respective fracture surfaces. The bolt fatigue, in conjunction with the excessive wear and damage at the lower flange, was consistent with bolt looseness and wear over a period of time. According to the airplane manufacturer, similar events involved airplanes used for student pilot training, such as the accident airplane, which experienced a previous hard landing that went unreported. The damage could then propagate over time, but it was difficult to tell if the initiating hard landing occurred months or years before the actual landing gear failure. However, mechanics commonly check the bolts during annual and 100-hour inspections. Specifically, they check the condition and security by verifying the proper exposed thread count and that the cotter pins were in place. The accident airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed about 3 months before the accident and the airplane had flown about 51 hours since that inspection. The two mechanics who performed the most recent annual inspection reported that the bolts were visually inspected and attempts were made to check retention and security of the hardware with tools; however, the nuts were in an area that was difficult to access with tools. It could not be determined if the wear began before or after the most recent annual inspection.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 102 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 43 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 12, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command; 491 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 4, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,813 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 11, 2013; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Triad Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: AVL Asheville NC at 6:30 pm
- Destination: INT Winston Salem NC
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 22, 3,938 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from INT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.