Piper PA-60-600, VH-AVS, Orange, New South Wales, on 3 July 1990

Circumstances:

The aircraft was being flown for a visual night circuit to runway 11 after completing an instrument approach. The wind was reported as 5 to 10 knots from the south-west. The pilot reported that after touchdown the aircraft commenced to veer to the right. Although left braking and steering was applied, the aircraft continued to veer until it lurched to the right and stopped, as though the right wheel had become bogged. After vacating the aircraft, the pilot found the right main gear oleo had broken away and the aircraft was resting on the right main gear mount, which had dug into the runway surface. A metallurgical examination of the landing gear showed that the inner oleo strut tube had failed as a result of the propagation of a fatigue crack to a critical length. No manufacturing fault was detected; however, the landing gear had a high total time in service history. No other failures of this type are contained in Civil Aviation Authority records, and it is considered that it may have been a "one-off" event.

Significant Factors:

The following factors were considered relevant to the development of the accident:

1. The landing gear had a high total time in service.

2. Tensile failure of bronze filler in a fatigue and/or large loading environment.

3. Fatigue fracture of inner oleo strut tube.