Pilot Debrief

Fisher DAKATO HAWK near Oshkosh, WI — 2018-07-26

Final reportCEN18TA296
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Date
2018-07-26
Location
Oshkosh, WI, USA
Airport
OSH
Aircraft
Fisher DAKATO HAWK
Registration
N677TS
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The failure of the left main landing gear for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in a loss of directional control during the ground roll.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was landing the airplane on the runway at an ultralight airfield. After the airplane touched down, the left main landing gear (MLG) collapsed at the bottom end of the strut. The airplane ground looped, and the right wingtip struck the ground. The pilot stated that the landing was smooth and gentle, not hard, and that there was no side load on the landing gear at touchdown. He added that he suspected that a previous landing may have been hard, which resulted in a crack in the landing gear. An examination of the left MLG revealed that the upper/outer strut tubing was broken, and the lower/inner strut tubing was bent. There was no evidence of fatigue. It could not be determined if the crack occurred as a result of the accident or was preexisting.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Inspect landing gear for damage before flight after previous hard landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents2

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