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NTSB Report

August 18, 2017 · Piper PA 18-150 · N82912

Sweetwater, TX

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
August 18, 2017
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (2 uninjured)
Location
Sweetwater, TX
Aircraft
Piper PA 18-150 (1977)
Tail Number
N82912
Operator
Usda-Aphis-Ws
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
CEN17LA324

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane stated that he intended to make a wheel landing with the flaps fully extended following the positioning flight. He stated that he felt a "little bump" shortly after the airplane touched down on the right main landing gear (MLG), and the airplane began to swerve left. The pilot reported that he was unable to regain directional control with full right rudder and right brake inputs. The airplane continued to swerve left and departed the left runway edge; the right MLG collapsed after it entered soft terrain. The airplane came to rest heading about 180° opposite the intended runway heading. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, both main wing spars, and the right elevator. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed several damaged MLG components. Laboratory examination of the damaged MLG components did not identify any evidence of preexisting damage or cracks. The damaged MLG brace tubes and the piston inside the right hydrasorb shock unit had fractured from overstress. The overall damage to the MLG was consistent with a hard landing. It is likely that the internal piston shaft of the right hydrasorb shock unit failed first in bending overstress during the hard landing, which was followed by the overstress failure of both the left and right MLG brace tubes.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and the overstress failure of the right main landing gear.

Full Narrative

On August 18, 2017, about 1145 central daylight time, a Piper PA-18-150 airplane, N82912, was substantially damaged while landing at Avenger Field Airport (SWW), Sweetwater, Texas. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a public aircraft.The pilot reported that he chose to land on runway 17 at SWW because the automated weather observing system at the airport indicated the surface wind was 9 knots from the south-southwest. The pilot stated that he intended to make a wheel landing with the flaps fully extended. He stated that he felt a "little bump" shortly after the airplane touched down on the right main landing gear (MLG), and the airplane began to swerve left. The pilot reported that he was unable to regain directional control with full right rudder and right brake inputs. The airplane continued to swerve left and departed the left runway edge where the right MLG collapsed after it entered soft terrain. The airplane came to rest on a north heading. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, both main wing spars, and the right elevator. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the wreckage identified several fractured MLG components, which were subsequently submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for additional examination. The left-side MLG hydrasorb shock unit was intact with its external shock cord rings wrapped around its tee flanges. The left MLG brace tube was bent and fractured near where it attached to the left hydrasorb shock unit. Adjacent to the fracture surface, the brace tube exhibited local thinning or necking. The tube fracture surface exhibited either a cup-shaped morphology, or a flat orientation angled at about 45° relative to the tube direction. The observed fracture features and tube damage were consistent with tensile overstress. There was no evidence of preexisting cracks or damage to the left MLG brace tube or its associated hydrasorb shock unit. The right-side MLG brace tube had buckled and was partially fractured about 5.75 inches from the fitting hole. The fracture surface exhibited a general rough texture with a dull luster, which was consistent with tensile overstress. Additionally, the opposite end of the right MLG brace tube had buckled inward toward the partial fracture. The observed brace tube damage was consistent with bending overstress. The right-side MLG hydrasorb shock unit exhibited a fracture of its internal piston shaft. The piston shaft had bent downward adjacent to the fracture surface. One side of the fracture exhibited a generally flat surface on one half before it transitioned to a 45° shear lip. Additional examination of the fracture with a scanning electron microscope revealed dimple rupture in a slanted orientation. The observed fracture features and damage to the internal piston shaft were consistent with bending overstress. There was no evidence of preexisting cracks or damage to the internal piston shaft. The chemical composition, microstructure, and measured material hardness were consistent with a martensitic precipitation-hardened stainless-steel alloy.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time11:45 CDT
Nearest AirportAvenger Field Airport (0nm)
Runway17
Runway Length5840 ft
Runway Width100 ft
Flight Plan FiledCvfr
Flight Plan ActivatedYes
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftPiper PA 18-150
Tail NumberN82912
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorUsda-Aphis-Ws
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · O-360-C4P · Reciprocating · 180
Seats2

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (2 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured2
Total2
Crew 1Age 57 · Second Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind230° @ 6 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingBroken clouds 8000 ft
Temperature / Dew Point68 F
Altimeter30.15 inHg
Observation Time16:35
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data