Pilot Debrief

CZECH SPORT AIRCRAFT AS PIPER SPORT near Mansfield, OH — 2016-04-14

Final reportCEN16LA157
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Date
2016-04-14
Location
Mansfield, OH, USA
Airport
MFD
Aircraft
CZECH SPORT AIRCRAFT AS PIPER SPORT
Registration
N197PS
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to inspect the nose landing gear (NLG), which resulted in a crack going undetected and the subsequent separation of the NLG at the weld area during landing.

NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot/owner was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot stated that, after the main landing gear touched down, he eased the backpressure on the control stick and that the nose landing gear (NLG) then separated from the airplane. The airplane slid on the runway surface. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the NLG had fractured at a weld area. An airplane manufacturer service bulletin (SB) called for periodic inspection of the NLG for cracks in the weld area every 25 hours. The pilot reported that the NLG had accumulated a total time in service of 371 hours at the time of the accident and that it was last inspected 31 flight hours before the accident.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Failure to comply with landing gear inspection requirements per service bulletin.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents4

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