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19960514019669I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Amtr TJ3 · Lock Haven, PA · May 14, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 14, 1996 · 09:00 local
Place
Lock Haven, PA
Airport
William T Piper Memorial Airport
Phase of flight
Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N927RB
Reported as
Amtr TJ3
Reported engine
AMTRVW VW2100VOLKS
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
600 total4 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days
N927RBRegistration cancelled Nov 15, 2017 · Bliler Robert J TJ3S/N 5667 · Built 1995Airframe modelBliler Robert J TJ3Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on may 14, 1996, at 09:00 hours, an amateur/homebuilt, experimental aircraft, designated own design TJ3, made an uneventful landing on runway 27 at William t. Piper memorial airport in lockhaven, PA. The aircraft, built and designed by the pilot, was being test flown at the time. The aircraft had only 3.5 hours of time-in-service when the nose landing gear collapsed during taxi on a wet, grassy area allowing the aircraft to pitch over on it's nose. No injuries were received and only minor damage to the aircraft was noted. A subsequent evaluation of the aircraft revealed the nose landing gear lower two strut tubes buckled where they attach to the engine mount. The damage indicated a possible weak design. The aircraft owner/pilot/builder contacted a former Piper der to evaluate the aircraft design. The der indicated the nose landing gear was carrying too high of a load and redesign or change of the main landing gear location was indicated. The aircraft owner decided to rebuild the nose gear struts using thicker wall tubing and change the main gear location per the der's recommendation. No further action is required. Submission of this report closes this incident.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON MAY 14, 1996, AT 09:00 HOURS, AN AMATEUR/HOMEBUILT, EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT, DESIGNATED OWN DESIGN TJ3, MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING ON RUNWAY 27 AT WILLIAM T. PIPER MEMORIAL AIRPORT IN LOCKHAVEN, PA. THE AIRCRAFT, BUILT AND DESIGNED BY THE PILOT, WAS BEING TEST FLOWN AT THE TIME. THE AIRCRAFT HAD ONLY 3.5 HOURS OF TIME-IN-SERVICE WHEN THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DURING TAXI ON A WET, GRASSY AREA ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO PITCH OVER ON IT'S NOSE. NO INJURIES WERE RECEIVED AND ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOTED. A SUBSEQUENT EVALUATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR LOWER TWO STRUT TUBES BUCKLED WHERE THEY ATTACH TO THE ENGINE MOUNT. THE DAMAGE INDICATED A POSSIBLE WEAK DESIGN. THE AIRCRAFT OWNER/PILOT/BUILDER CONTACTED A FORMER PIPER DER TO EVALUATE THE AIRCRAFT DESIGN. THE DER INDICATED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS CARRYING TOO HIGH OF A LOAD AND REDESIGN OR CHANGE OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR LOCATION WAS INDICATED. THE AIRCRAFT OWNER DECIDED TO REBUILD THE NOSE GEAR STRUTS USING THICKER WALL TUBING AND CHANGE THE MAIN GEAR LOCATION PER THE DER'S RECOMMENDATION. NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUIRED. SUBMISSION OF THIS REPORT CLOSES THIS INCIDENT.