Pilot Debrief

FLIGHT DESIGN CTLS near Elyria, OH — 2012-10-17

Final reportCEN13IA024
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Date
2012-10-17
Location
Elyria, OH, USA
Airport
LPR
Aircraft
FLIGHT DESIGN CTLS
Registration
N21ZA
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The manufacturing defects in the main landing gear leg, which resulted in its eventual failure.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that the airplane's fixed right main landing gear collapsed during landing. He reported that the landing was "not extraordinarily hard" and that it should have been well within the airplane's typical performance. Postincident examination of the composite right main landing gear leg revealed several manufacturing defects, including wrinkled layers and layers that terminated at the surface when they should have been continuous, which reduced the landing gear leg's strength and its ability to resist longitudinal cracks. As a result of this investigation, the airplane manufacturer conducted an audit of the subcontractor that manufactured the landing gear legs. The audit revealed that, before the incident, the landing gear manufacturer had become aware of quality issues related to the mold closing process of the landing gear legs during manufacture and had implemented steps to reduce the recurrence of these issues. Based on the available evidence, the manufacturing defects in the composite main landing gear leg likely reduced the leg's load-carrying capacity and resulted in its eventual failure.

NTSB coding

  • Landing gear collapse · Landing-landing roll

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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