Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT N425AZ

Summary

On 15 August 2018 at about 16:00 local time, a Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT registered N425AZ was involved in an accident near Stuart, Florida, 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

15 August 2018 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Stuart, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Witham Field (SUA)

Coordinates

27.1817, -80.2214

Aircraft

Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT

Registration

N425AZ

Category

Airplane

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stuart → Stuart

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA220

Nobody was injured.

Inadequate maintenance inspection of the airplane's nose landing gear, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse during landing due to cracking and corrosion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The sport pilot was conducting a personal flight in the special light sport airplane. During landing, the airplane touched down normally on the main landing gear. After 50 ft of ground roll, the nose landing gear touched down and collapsed; one propeller blade subsequently separated, and the airplane came to rest upright on the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the nose landing gear had separated at a location that the airplane maintenance manual (AMM) and a service bulletin (SB) indicate should be inspected for cracks. The separated fracture surfaces exhibited cracking and corrosion. Review of the SB revealed that due to the development of cracks, an inspection for cracks per the AMM should occur every 25 flight hours or 50 cycles, whatever occurs first. The AMM stated to use a flashlight and 10x magnifier to visually inspect the nose landing gear leg lower section and verify that there is no evidence of cracking in paint on or around the place of the weld between the tube and the bracket. The most recent documented nose landing gear inspection was about 2 years 5 months before the accident. Thus, it is likely that the nose landing gear was not adequately inspected and cracks and corrosion were therefore undetected, which led to the nose landing gear collapse during landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.