Leder John A LEDER VELOCITY XL RG N224SM

Summary

On 2 July 2012 at about 21:45 local time, a Leder John A LEDER VELOCITY XL RG registered N224SM, operated by Mueller Terry L, was involved in an accident near Thomson, Georgia, 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

2 July 2012 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Thomson, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Thomson-McDuffie (HQU)

Coordinates

33.5297, -82.5169

Aircraft

Leder John A LEDER VELOCITY XL RG

Registration

N224SM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Mueller Terry L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elkin → Thomson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA431

Nobody was injured.

Separation of the nose landing gear due to a preexisting fatigue crack caused by an earlier shimmy event and the subsequent incorrect installation of the shimmy dampener.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he landed the airplane on the main landing gear and then lowered the nose landing gear on the runway. The nosewheel started to shimmy, and the pilot applied aft pressure on the control yoke; however, the nose landing gear strut assembly subsequently separated from the airplane and the airplane veered right and came to rest in the grass off the right side of the runway. The pilot further stated that he had experienced a shimmy event about 50 flight hours before the accident, and he decided to install a shimmy dampener on the airplane. Metallurgical examination of the components revealed the nose landing gear separated due to a preexisting fatigue crack caused by the earlier shimmy event and the subsequent incorrect installation of the shimmy dampener. Specifically, the shimmy dampener alignment pin had not been installed, which rendered the shimmy dampener ineffective.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.