Pilot Debrief

RARDIN WILLIAM I KITFOX III near Carlisle, AR — 2011-01-02

Final reportCEN11CA143
Sign in to save
Date
2011-01-02
Location
Carlisle, AR, USA
Airport
4M3
Aircraft
RARDIN WILLIAM I KITFOX III
Registration
N876KF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

Failure of the left main landing gear strut due to a pre-existing crack in the weld joint.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was landing his single-engine experimental airplane in calm wind conditions, when the left main gear collapsed upon touchdown. The airplane veered to the right and the pilot attempted to keep the airplane on the runway by applying engine power and right aileron; however, the airplane exited the runway and spun, which resulted in structural damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the left main landing gear strut revealed that the strut failed due to a pre-existing crack in the weld joint. The crack would not have been readily visible to the pilot during a pre-flight inspection due to the construction of the strut. The bracing around the strut exhibited signs of distress with twisted and shiny fracture surfaces. No other anomalies were found with the airplane.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

Related mishaps