Cirrus SR22 N915TD

Summary

On 27 August 2015 at about 21:05 local time, a Cirrus SR22 registered N915TD was involved in an incident near Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 August 2015 at 21:05

Classification

Incident

Location

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Scottsdale (SDL)

Coordinates

33.6228, -111.9106

Aircraft

Cirrus SR22

Registration

N915TD

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flagstaff → Scottsdale

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15IA252

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the nose landing gear due to unanticipated fatigue loads.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

***This report was modified on August 1, 2018. Please see the docket for this incident to view the original report.*** While the pilot receiving instruction was landing the airplane, the main landing gear touched down first; as he was slowly lowering the nose landing gear (NLG) to the runway, he felt a "shimmy" in the NLG. Despite applying back pressure to lift the weight off the NLG, the airplane's nose slowly started falling forward, and the nosewheel collapsed. Postincident examination of the airplane revealed that the NLG was fractured through the strut tube adjacent to the forward edge of the gusset tube attachment welds. Metallurgical testing revealed that the failure was the result of high-stress fatigue cracking due to sideways bending from one side. No mechanical or metallurgical anomalies were noted with the NLG. After the incident, the airplane manufacturer conducted structural testing of the NLG, which revealed that shimmy events or nonstandard towing could result in cracks and the eventual separation of the NLG. As a result, the airplane manufacturer issued two service advisory letters, which outlined appropriate towing and inspection procedures. The airplane manufacturer also issued a series of service bulletins, which, in part, recommended that all NLG on the affected airplanes be inspected for cracks in the welds between the strut tube and the gusset tubes and that postshimmy inspections also be conducted to look for cracks in this area. Additionally, the airplane manufacturer updated the design of the NLG to increase the strength of the strut tube.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.