Primary finding
Probable cause
The failure of the nose landing gear wooden attachment/support structure, which resulted in collapse of the nose landing gear during taxi. Contributing to the accident was the improper design of the nose landing gear attachment structure.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The ground controller instructed the pilot to taxi the airplane to the active runway. The pilot stated that the taxiway that he was instructed to taxi on was “very rough,” so he elected to taxi the airplane in the grass as he had done several times before. When the nose gear came in contact with the grass area, the pilot heard a loud noise, and the nose landing gear collapsed. An examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane’s wood structure fractured at the nose gear assembly attachment location, which ripped through the bottom fuselage area under the rudder pedals section. After the wood structure of the nose gear assembly fractured, the surrounding structure was unable to support the load on the nose landing gear, which resulted in the nose landing gear collapse. According to a mechanic who performed work on the airplane, the wooden design of the airplane was not able to support the loads for that type of landing gear system.
Source record
Factual narrative
On April 3, 2012, at 1145, eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur built, Jones Cavalier SA105, N320WJ, registered to and operated by an individual, nose landing gear collapsed while taxiing at the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport (EVB), New Smyrna, Florida. The pilot was not injured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, personal flight. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to the pilot, he was instructed by the ground controller to taxi to the active runway. The taxiway that he was instructed to taxi on was “very rough,” therefore, he elected to taxi the airplane in the grass as he had done several times before. When the nose gear came in contact with the grass area, the pilot heard a loud noise, and the nose landing gear collapsed. Then the pilot exited the airplane without incident. An examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane’s wood structure fractured at the nose gear assembly attachment location, which ripped through the bottom fuselage area under the rudder pedals section. The airplane was in phase one testing for certification and had accumulated a total of about 30 flight hours with 50 landings. Further examination of the nose landing gear revealed that the wooden rib brace, which supported the nose gear retract A-frame trunnions had fractured. According to FAA records, the airplane was built in 1973, but the airworthiness certificate was issued on January 5, 2012. According to a mechanic who performed work on the airplane, the wooden design of the airplane was not able to support the loads for that type of landing gear system.