Pilot Debrief

Cessna 180 near Lago Vista, TX — 2018-07-02

Final reportCEN18LA250
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Date
2018-07-02
Location
Lago Vista, TX, USA
Airport
RYW
Aircraft
Cessna 180
Registration
N2469C
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The separation of the left main landing gear spring during landing due to a preexisting fatigue crack.

NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal flight when the airplane rolled left during the landing flare and then landed hard on the left main landing gear (MLG). The airplane bounced and landed hard and then bounced again on the left MLG. The left MLG spring separated from the fuselage on the third contact with the runway. The airplane subsequently ground looped to the left and came to rest heading about 180° from the original runway direction. The left main wing spar was substantially damaged when the left wingtip impacted the runway. Postaccident materials examination of the fractured left MLG spring revealed a multiple-origin fatigue crack where the landing gear fixation hardware contacted the landing gear spring. The maintenance logbooks were not complete; therefore, it could not be determined if the left MLG spring had been replaced or overhauled since new. The separation of the left MLG gear spring during landing was likely due to the fatigue crack that reduced the overall strength of the landing gear spring.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted landing due to wind conditions and control issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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