John H Korb Jr KITFOX III N38JK

Summary

On 24 May 1998 at about 16:30 local time, a John H Korb Jr KITFOX III registered N38JK was involved in an accident near Carson City, Nevada, 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

24 May 1998 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Carson City, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Carson City (CXP)

Coordinates

39.2609, -119.7898

Aircraft

John H Korb Jr KITFOX III

Registration

N38JK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA173

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the right landing gear shock cord because of ultraviolet deterioration in an area of abraded outer fabric, that resulted in a loss of directional control on landing and subsequent ground collision. Factors were the owner/builder's failure to replace the worn shock cord, and the kit manufacturer's failure to include its replacement in the annual inspection checklist.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to conduct touch-and-go landings. On the fourth touch-and-go landing the airplane veered to the right and the pilot attempted an unsuccessful go-around. Examination of the aircraft revealed a broken shock cord on the right main landing gear. Examination of aircraft records revealed that the aircraft had recently completed an annual inspection and the airframe had accrued 125 hours, without replacement of the shock cords. The shock cord was inspected, and found to exhibit internal ultra violet aging due to the abraded outside fabric lacing. According to the manufacturer, the shock cords are designed to be the weakest link in the landing gear system, and will fail at some point. He further stated that the shock cords should be replaced at the annual inspection. As a result of the accident, it was found that no provisions were made in the annual inspection checklist for replacement of the shock cords during the annual inspection. In the manufacturer's newsletter, under Maintenance Items, there was a reminder to replace the shock cords annually. The pilot stated that he was not aware that the shock cords needed to be replaced on an annual basis, as this was not mentioned in the annual inspection checklist. The manufacturer has since amended the annual inspection checklist to require replacement of the shock cord on an annual basis.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.