# Accident 19980524010669A: Amtr KITFOXIII, Carson City, NV, May 24, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 24, 1998, 09:30 local time
- Place: Carson City, NV
- Airport: Carson Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Touch And Go Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.2609° N, 119.7898° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.2609&lon=-119.7898&mi=10
- Aircraft: N38JK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N38JK-2023-03-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Korb John H JR KITFOX III (registry code 05623V4, https://openairdocs.org/model/korb-john-h-jr-kitfox-iii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 582SER (registry code 55556, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-582ser) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR KITFOXIII
- Reported engine: ROTAX ROTAX582
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,188 total, 125 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA173](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA173) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980524010669A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

VEERED OFF RUNWAY DURING A TOUCH AND GO LANDING. A SHOCK CORD HAD BROKEN. (-23) VEERED ON LANDING ROLL.  UNABLE TO GET OPPOSITE RUDDER RESPONSE.  EXITED RWY.  BELIEVED RIGHT GEAR BUNGEE BROKE. (.4) THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO CONDUCT TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS.  ON THE FOURTH TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING THE AIRPLANE VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED AN UNSUCCESSFUL GO-AROUND.  EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED A BROKEN SHOCK CORD ON THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR.  EXAMINATION OF AIRCRAFT RECORDS REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD RECENTLY BEEN THROUGH AN ANNUAL INSPECTION AND THE AIRFRAME HAD ACCRUED 125 HOURS, WITHOUT REPLACEMENT OF THE SHOCK CORDS.  THE SHOCK CORD WAS INSPECTED, AND FOUND TO EXHIBIT INTERNAL ULTRA VIOLET AGING DUE TO THE ABRADED OUTSIDE FABRIC LACING.  ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER, THE SHOCK CORDS ARE DESIGNED TO BE THE WEAKEST LINK IN THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM, AND WILL FAIL AT SOME POINT.  HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE SHOCK CORDS SHOULD BE REPLACED AT THE ANNUAL INSPECTION.  AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT, IT WAS FOUND THAT NO PROVISIONS WERE MADE IN THE ANNUAL INSPECTION CHECKLIST FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE SHOCK CORDS DURING THE ANNUAL INSPECTION . IN THE MANUFACTURER'S NEWSLETTER, UNDER MAINTENANCE ITEMS, THERE WAS A REMINDER TO REPLACE THE SHOCK CORDS ANNUALLY.  THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE SHOCK CORDS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, AS THIS WAS NOT MENTIONED IN THE ANNUAL INSPECTION CHECKLIST.  THE MANUFACTURER HAS SINCE AMENDED THE ANNUAL INSPECTION CHECKLIST TO REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE SHOCK CORD ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX98LA173](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA173), May 24, 1998: John H. Korb Jr. Kitfox III (N38JK), Carson City, NV, substantial damage. Probable cause: The failure of the right landing gear shock cord because of ultraviolet deterioration in an area of abraded outer fabric, that resulted in a loss of directional control on landing and subsequent…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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