Cessna 195 N3027B

Summary

On 4 October 2021 at about 22:08 local time, a Cessna 195 registered N3027B was involved in an accident near Watkins, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 October 2021 at 22:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Watkins, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Colorado Air and Space Port Ai (CFO)

Coordinates

39.7939, -104.5518

Aircraft

Cessna 195

Registration

N3027B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1952

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Del Norte → Watkins

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA004

1 person had minor injuries.

The separation of the left main landing gear spring during landing roll due to a preexisting fatigue crack.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported he was landing from a personal flight in his tailwheel-equipped airplane when it suddenly swerved to the right shortly after the tailwheel contacted the runway surface during the landing roll. The pilot applied left rudder and brake to regain directional control, but the airplane veered off the right side of the runway into a level grass area. The left main landing gear (MLG) spring fractured where the spring entered the fuselage, which resulted in the airplane coming to rest on the lower left fuselage in a left wing down attitude. The left wing, left aileron, and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the left MLG spring revealed a preexisting fatigue crack that initiated from the upper forward edge of the spring adjacent to the fuselage. The fatigue crack likely reduced the overall strength of the landing gear spring which resulted in its separation during the landing roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.