Primary finding
Probable cause
The failure of the left main landing gear leg for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in the wheel/ski-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that, just as the airplane became airborne, he heard a "loud bang" and that he then noticed that the left wheel/ski assembly had rotated up and near the left window. The pilot then chose to return to the departure runway for an emergency landing, and he crabbed the airplane into the wind to hold the wheel/ski assembly close to the airplane during the return flight back to the airport. During touchdown, as the airplane settled onto the runway, the left main landing gear leg contacted the ground and collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left main landing gear leg assembly fractured near the axle through bolts. The fractured gear leg and maintenance records were not made available for examination; therefore, the reason for the failure of the left main landing gear leg could not be determined.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 23, 2015, about 1240 Alaska daylight time, a wheel/ski equipped Cessna 185 airplane, N4554F, sustained substantial damage during an emergency landing, shortly after takeoff from the Nome City Field, Nome, Alaska. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the certificated commercial pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight destined to White Mountain, Alaska. During a telephone interview the pilot reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge that after a normal takeoff roll, just as the airplane became airborne, he heard a "loud bang," and then he noticed that the left side wheel/ski assembly had rotated up and near the left side window. The pilot then elected to return to the departure runway for an emergency landing, and he crabbed the airplane into the wind as to hold the wheel/ski assembly close to the airplane during the return flight back to the airport. During touchdown, as airplane settled to the runway and the left main landing gear leg contacted the ground, the left main landing gear leg collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground, sustaining substantial damage. A postaccident inspection of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the left main landing gear leg assembly fractured near the axel through bolts, which caused the ski to rotate up near the window during takeoff. The fractured gear leg and maintenance records were not made available to the NTSB for examination. The aircraft had been modified via Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), SA1907NM, for the instillation of Schnider Model SWS-4000 C-19 wheel skies.