Bellanca 17-30A Super Viking
Stretched And Fatigued
At touchdown, the nose landing gear failed and partially collapsed. Examination revealed it appears the bearing rod end (p/n 198001-2) experienced a fatigue failure. The rod end failed at a point where the threads and AN316-4R nut meet, shearing even with the nut face. Rod end threads were stretched and bent at a 15-degree angle with about 0.5” of threads showing. Rod end bearing movement was satisfactory.
Part total time: Unknown
Beechcraft F35 Bonanza
Nose Gear Retraction Rod End
The nose gear retraction assembly rod end failed. It appeared the rod end had been cracked and was not detected during the last annual inspection. The nose gear folded up on landing, causing damage to the aircraft nose and propeller. The rod end is in a difficult position to inspect and the crack may be hard to determine.
Part total time: 7172.0 hours
Cessna 150
Broken Steering Rod End
On takeoff roll, left forward nose wheel steering rod end failed, allowing the nose gear to turn fully left and resulting in loss of control. The aircraft departed the runway edge and flipped over, causing substantial damage.
Part total time; 4056.0 hours
Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG
Failed Rod End
Inspection found the main landing gear actuator rod end had failed. The rod end body appears to have broken at the grease servicing port. Aircraft logbook research found no record of replacement since the airplane’s date of manufacture. SE7937r1 and bulletin CE-14-17 address replacing the rod end.
Part total time: 2657.0 hours
Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow III
Rod End Attach Ball Failure
The pilot reported the prop control was unresponsive. Examination found the prop governor rod end off of the governor attach ball. The spring safety device had rotated and allowed the rod end to pop off of the attach ball. We would recommend replacing the rod end periodically and possibly a better-designed rod end safety device.
Part total time: 4687.0 hours
Piper PA-31 Navajo
Overload Failure
The nose landing gear collapsed during rollout after landing. There was no indication of a problem until after touchdown. The rod assembly (p/n 41949-00) was found fractured at the rod end. Condition was assessed as “consistent with failure in overload,” but cause of overload was not determined. Initial log search does not show replacement of the rod assembly within the past five years.
Part total time: Unknown
