Cessna 140 N3625V

Summary

On 13 February 2016 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 140 registered N3625V was involved in an accident near Independence, Oregon, 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

13 February 2016 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Independence, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Independence State (7S5)

Coordinates

44.8664, -123.1983

Aircraft

Cessna 140

Registration

N3625V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1948

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Aurora → Independence

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR16LA068

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the left main landing gear wheel axle due to a fatigue crack.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was landing the airplane on a dry, hard-surfaced runway. He stated that the approach and touchdown were normal. Just after touchdown, he felt "something similar to a bump," and the airplane started to drift to the left. He thought that the airplane possibly had a flat tire and tried to compensate with rudder input, but the airplane continued drifting to the left, exited the left side of the runway, and ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. An on-scene examination revealed that the left main landing gear axle had fractured, resulting in the separation of the wheel assembly. A detailed examination revealed that the axle was fractured near the inboard end, just outboard of the axle attachment flange. Portions of the fracture surface at the upper and lower sides of the axle had relatively smooth features oriented perpendicular to the outer surface, consistent with fatigue. The fatigue cracks initiated at a fillet corner at a change in the axle's outer diameter. The manufacturer specified inspection intervals to check for cracks and corrosion of the main landing gear axle; however, the accident airplane's maintenance logs were not located, and the airplane's maintenance history could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.