Lee SQ 2000 N416

Summary

On 13 April 2006 at about 17:40 local time, a Lee SQ 2000 registered N416 was involved in an accident near Berrien Springs, Michigan, 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

13 April 2006 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Andrews University Airpark (C20)

Coordinates

41.9517, -86.3678

Aircraft

Lee SQ 2000

Registration

N416

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Forest City → Berrien Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI06CA111

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the right main landing gear assembly during landing and the pilot's subsequent inability to maintain directional control of the airplane. Contributing factors were the collapse of the left and right main landing gear and the gusty, crosswind condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The amateur-built airplane was substantially damaged during landing when it departed the right side of runway 31 and the main landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that the airplane touched down on the runway, and that "it appeared [to be] a good touchdown." He stated that during the rollout, the airplane felt "rubbery" and "vibrated or appeared to hop." He lost control of the airplane and it subsequently departed the right side of the runway. The pilot noted that the flight was "very turbulent," although it was "a little more manageable" at lower altitudes. The airport manager reported that skid marks observed on the runway appeared to be associated with the right main landing gear of the accident airplane. He stated that the marks started approximately one-quarter of the way down runway 31, near the first taxiway intersection after the displaced threshold. He noted that the marks were intermittent. Each skid mark was about 18 inches long, with clear (non-skid) intervals of approximately 6 feet between them. In addition, the marks appeared to "jump back and forth" laterally from one mark to the next. They appeared to move from side to side about 6 - 8 inches between each mark. He added that the marks veered toward the right side of the runway, and stopped about 200 feet before the point at which the airplane left the pavement. Marks from the accident airplane continued in the grass area adjacent to the runway. He noted that a pin on the right gear brace appeared to have failed and the brace on the left gear had failed. Winds recorded approximately 13 minutes after the accident, at an airport located 11 nautical miles north of the accident site, were from 230 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 20 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.