19990415014379I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mooney M20K · New Orleans, LA · April 15, 1999

Date: April 15, 1999 · 21:28 local
Place: New Orleans, LA
Airport: New Orleans International-Moisant Fld
Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N305EC
Reported as: Mooney M20K
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,450 total210 in this make and model300 in the last 90 days

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.

After landing, N305EC exited runway 28 at taxiway charlie. The aircraft was near centerline when the nose wheel transited a pothole collapsing the nose gear. The pothole appears in a photograph to be approximately four inches deep, about a foot in diameter and tangent to the centerline of the taxiway. The push rods on the nose gear leg failed and the nose gear collapsed. There appeared to be previous fatigue cracks covering approximately fifty percent on all four lolipops. Repairs will be made at msy prior to returning the aircraft to houston. This aircraft had a similar nose gear collapse on November 1, 1997.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER LANDING, N305EC EXITED RUNWAY 28 AT TAXIWAY CHARLIE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NEAR CENTERLINE WHEN THE NOSE WHEEL TRANSITED A POTHOLE COLLAPSING THE NOSE GEAR. THE POTHOLE APPEARS IN A PHOTOGRAPH TO BE APPROXIMATELY FOUR INCHES DEEP, ABOUT A FOOT IN DIAMETER AND TANGENT TO THE CENTERLINE OF THE TAXIWAY. THE PUSH RODS ON THE NOSE GEAR LEG FAILED AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THERE APPEARED TO BE PREVIOUS FATIGUE CRACKS COVERING APPROXIMATELY FIFTY PERCENT ON ALL FOUR LOLIPOPS. REPAIRS WILL BE MADE AT MSY PRIOR TO RETURNING THE AIRCRAFT TO HOUSTON. THIS AIRCRAFT HAD A SIMILAR NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE ON NOVEMBER 1, 1997.