Pilot Debrief

Cessna 305-A near Mokuleia, HI — 2008-02-14

Final reportLAX08LA060
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Date
2008-02-14
Location
Mokuleia, HI, USA
Airport
PHDH
Aircraft
Cessna 305-A
Registration
N473GF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The failure of the left main landing gear strut due to fatigue. Contributing to the failure was the side load placed on the landing gear while making a crosswind landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot observed that the windsocks located at each end of runway indicated tailwinds of about 10 knots in either direction. The midfield sock indicated a direct crosswind from the north. The pilot elected to approach the east runway, and touched down abeam the midfield windsock. Upon touchdown the airplane encountered a left-to-right crosswind, and as the airplane decelerated, the pilot noticed the wind shift to a quartering right tailwind. He elected to abort the landing. As he advanced the throttle the engine sputtered, the left main gear collapsed, and the airplane ground looped as it approached the runway's edge. Examination of the left main landing gear spring strut revealed that the strut separated where the wheel bolts to the strut. The fracture face of the strut was granular in texture and uniform matte gray in color. The fracture surface for the section of landing gear strut that remained attached to the wheel was closely examined, and it was noted that the fracture surface had an approximate 1/16 inch flat dark triangular section at the corner of the mounting bolt hole. The Safety Board Materials Laboratory examination confirmed the presence of a 0.072 inch fatigue crack at this location that would be sufficient to cause a failure of the strut.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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