American Champion 7GCAA N519MA

Summary

On 20 December 2017 at about 15:50 local time, a American Champion 7GCAA registered N519MA, operated by Fly Elite Aviation, was involved in an accident near Longmont, Colorado, 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

20 December 2017 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Longmont, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Vance Brand (LMO)

Coordinates

40.1658, -105.1661

Aircraft

American Champion 7GCAA

Registration

N519MA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Fly Elite Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Longmont → Longmont

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA059

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the landing gear through bolt primarily due to fatigue during a hard landing, which resulted in a landing gear collapse and runway excursion. Contributing to the accident was noncompliance with the manufacturer service letter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and private pilot were conducting an instructional flight when the private pilot made a hard landing and the airplane bounced. The flight instructor heard a "snapping" sound during the landing and subsequently took over the flight controls. He increased engine power to compensate for the bounced landing then landed the airplane on the runway. Upon touchdown, the left landing gear collapsed up and aft. The airplane continued forward on its nose and left wing, then departed the left side of the runway. The left landing gear through bolt was found fractured. A metallurgical examination of the landing gear through bolt fracture revealed two opposing regions of fatigue comprising 80-90% of the cross-sectional area of the bolt. These were separated by a narrow region of overstress, consistent with reverse bending fatigue crack propagation, which likely grew under low stress as evidenced by the length of the fatigue cracks. The airplane was subject to a manufacturer service letter for inspection of the landing gear through bolts due to previous instances of cracking and failure. The service letter recommended that the inspections be performed on or before the next 100-hour inspection and at 100-hour intervals thereafter, and at more frequent intervals if the aircraft is used in soft or rough runway operations. The owner of the airplane was unaware of the service letter and stated that the airplane had not received the recommended inspection. Although not required, it is likely that had the service letter been complied with and the through bolt been regularly inspected, the fatigued bolt would have been replaced and the accident would have been prevented.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.