Cessna 182 N6437A

Summary

On 7 August 1998 at about 15:15 local time, a Cessna 182 registered N6437A, operated by Terway, William, E., was involved in an accident near Yellowpine, Idaho, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 August 1998 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Yellowpine, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Johnson Creek (3U2)

Coordinates

45.0191, -115.5205

Aircraft

Cessna 182

Registration

N6437A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Terway, William, E.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

McCall → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA98LA158

Nobody was injured.

Right main landing gear spring strut fatigue, improper maintenance, and subsequent separation of the strut end.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon landing the pilot heard a bang and the right wing dropped. The airplane incurred substantial damage during a ground loop maneuver, following the separation of the right main wheel and lower strut end immediately after touchdown. Post-crash examination revealed that the lower end of the right main landing gear spring strut had broken off. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed features characteristic of fatigue cracking in multiple locations. The fatigue cracks originated at the surface of the holes, at the edge between the wall of the hole and flat face of the leg. Separation of the spring strut was caused by fatigue cracks that originated from the surface of the two upper holes. No chamfer was found at the surfaces of the two upper holes. The surface of these holes contained for the most part a corner edge that is a stress raiser and, in turn, this stress raiser sensitized the hole to cracking. The two upper holes most likely were drilled oversize to remove anomalies such as corrosion or fretting damage. The diameter of the oversize holes was sufficient to have removed evidence of the chamfer. There was no airframe log information available which identified any maintenance on the spring strut.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.