Smith Arthur Fox LONG EZ N7FS

Summary

On 2 May 2000 at about 21:35 local time, a Smith Arthur Fox LONG EZ registered N7FS was involved in an accident near Fallon, Nevada, United States. 2 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

2 May 2000 at 21:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Fallon, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Fallon Municipal (FLX)

Coordinates

39.4997, -118.2910

Aircraft

Smith Arthur Fox LONG EZ

Registration

N7FS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Truckee → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA182

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain runway alignment and directional control during a crosswind landing that resulted in a touchdown off the runway surface in soft sand. A factor in the accident was an earlier improper repair, which weakened the landing gear strut.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that his landing approach was normal. There was a 50-degree right crosswind at 15 knots. After touching down near the threshold on the main landing gear, the aircraft lifted off the runway to a height of 20-25 feet agl and drifted laterally off the runway. The pilot initiated a go-around and attempted to correct the flight path back over the runway; however, the aircraft touched down a second time in soft sand off the runway shoulder and the main gear collapsed. The aircraft then skidded to a stop on the runway on its belly. The pilot speculated that an earlier, improper repair of the fiberglass main landing gear leg left the leg in a weakened condition and contributed to the gear collapse. Shortly after purchasing the airplane, the pilot discovered that one main landing gear leg was deformed outward. The deformed gear leg had been reheated and realigned by a person who represented to the pilot that he was an expert in fiberglass repairs. Another mechanic told the pilot after the accident that he was of the opinion that this reheating weakened the fiberglass to the extent that it failed prematurely during the off-runway touchdown.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.