Saturday, May 27, 2017

Luscombe 8E Silvaire, N2759K: Accident occurred July 17, 2016 at Minden-Tahoe Airport (KMEV), Minden, Douglas County, Nevada

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board:https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf 

Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Reno, Nevada

http://registry.faa.gov/N2759K

NTSB Identification: WPR16LA141
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 17, 2016 in Minden, NV
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/25/2017
Aircraft: LUSCOMBE 8A, registration: N2759K
Injuries: 2 Minor.

NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The airline transport pilot reported that, during the takeoff rotation, he heard a noise that seemed to be coming from the landing gear. Once airborne, the passenger observed the right wheel, including the axle assembly, hanging sideways from a brake cable. The pilot subsequently landed on a grassy area between the runway and a taxiway with the left wheel first, holding the right side off the ground as long as possible. The right main landing gear (MLG) leg then contacted the ground and skidded for about 50 ft before it dug into the grass, which resulted in a nose-over.

Postaccident examination of the right MLG leg revealed that it failed at the axle cluster, which had internal corrosion; the upper portion of the leg was not sealed. The type certificate holder had issued a service recommendation (SR) over 20 years before the accident that addressed corrosion damage above the axle weld area, which had led to the failure of MLG legs. The owner stated that this SR had not been accomplished on the airplane. It is likely that the accident could have been prevented if the SR had been accomplished even though it was not required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The failure of a main landing gear leg during takeoff due to corrosion, which resulted in a nose-over during the subsequent landing on a grassy area.

On July 17, 2016, about 0850 Pacific daylight time, a Luscombe 8A, N2759K, nosed over during a precautionary landing at Minden-Tahoe Airport (MEV), Minden, Nevada. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The airline transport pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage as a result of the nose over. The local area flight originated from MEV at 0810. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported that during the takeoff rotation, he heard a noise that seemed to be coming from the landing gear. Once airborne, the passenger observed the right wheel, including the axle assembly, hanging sideways from the brake cable.

The pilot made a low pass for ground personnel to confirm the problem, and requested emergency equipment. The pilot flew around the airport for approximately 40 minutes until the emergency equipment was in place. The pilot elected to land on a grassy area between runway 34 and taxiway alpha. The pilot landed on the left wheel first, holding the right side of the airplane off the ground as long as possible. The right gear leg skidded for approximately 50 feet before digging in and causing the airplane to cartwheel onto its back.

Post-crash investigation by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right main gear leg failed at the axle cluster. The inspector observed internal corrosion within the axle cluster of the main gear leg. He noted that the upper portion of the leg was not sealed.

The information provided indicated that the failed cluster had current Univair aircraft corporation part numbers and nomenclature.

The Type Certificate holder provided a copy of a Service Recommendation (SR) #4 issued on January 22, 1996. The purpose of the SR was to facilitate the annual inspection of the Luscombe landing gear. It noted that corrosion damage within the 2 inches above the axle weldment had led to failure of the main landing gear legs. The SR provided instructions to examine for compromised structure. It also provided a solution by drilling a hole in the metal to allow moisture to drain out, and let drying air flow in to keep corrosion to a minimum. The owner stated that this SR had not been accomplished on this airplane. Compliance with the SR was not required by federal regulations for this type of operation.



NTSB Identification: WPR16LA141
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, July 17, 2016 in Minden, NV
Aircraft: LUSCOMBE 8A, registration: N2759K
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On July 17, 2016, about 0905 Pacific daylight time, a Luscombe 8A, N2759K, nosed over during a precautionary landing near Minden, Nevada. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The airline transport pilot sustained serious injuries, and the single passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage as a result of the nose over. The local area flight originated from Minden about 45 minutes prior to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

An airport operations official stated that the pilot reported a collapsed landing gear on takeoff. The pilot flew around about 45 minutes to burn fuel. The pilot elected to land on the grass between the runway and a taxiway. About 250 feet after touchdown, the collapsed gear dug into the ground, and the airplane nosed over.

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