Cessna 305-A N473GF

Summary

On 14 February 2008 at about 22:45 local time, a Cessna 305-A registered N473GF, operated by Honolulu Soaring Club, was involved in an accident near Mokuleia, Hawaii, United States. One person was 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

14 February 2008 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Mokuleia, Hawaii, United States

Nearest airport

Dillingham Airfield (PHDH)

Coordinates

21.5794, -158.1972

Aircraft

Cessna 305-A

Registration

N473GF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Honolulu Soaring Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Glider Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mokuleia → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08LA060

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the left main landing gear strut due to fatigue. Contributing to the failure was the side load placed on the landing gear while making a crosswind landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot observed that the windsocks located at each end of runway indicated tailwinds of about 10 knots in either direction. The midfield sock indicated a direct crosswind from the north. The pilot elected to approach the east runway, and touched down abeam the midfield windsock. Upon touchdown the airplane encountered a left-to-right crosswind, and as the airplane decelerated, the pilot noticed the wind shift to a quartering right tailwind. He elected to abort the landing. As he advanced the throttle the engine sputtered, the left main gear collapsed, and the airplane ground looped as it approached the runway's edge. Examination of the left main landing gear spring strut revealed that the strut separated where the wheel bolts to the strut. The fracture face of the strut was granular in texture and uniform matte gray in color. The fracture surface for the section of landing gear strut that remained attached to the wheel was closely examined, and it was noted that the fracture surface had an approximate 1/16 inch flat dark triangular section at the corner of the mounting bolt hole. The Safety Board Materials Laboratory examination confirmed the presence of a 0.072 inch fatigue crack at this location that would be sufficient to cause a failure of the strut.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.