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20030605016439I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Amtr LIBERTY XL-2 · Melbourne, FL · June 5, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 5, 2003 · 10:00 local
Place
Melbourne, FL
Airport
Melbourne Regional
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N204XL
Reported as
Amtr LIBERTYXL2
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
15,000 total50 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days
N204XLRegistration cancelled Mar 5, 2008 · STW Composites LIBERTY XL-2S/N 0001 · Built 2002Airframe modelSTW Composites LIBERTY XL-2Engine 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.

(-23) The experimental research & development airplane sustained a nose landing gear (NLG) strut shaft failure during landing rollout, and the nose gear tire assembly separated from the airplane. The propeller struck the runway and the airplane subsequently skidded to a stop on the remaining portion of the strut. Subsequent inspection of the NLG leg assembly (pn 135-40-511 rev. D) revealed that it had failed just above the swivel link where the nose gear shaft attaches to the strut leg. Company engineering personnel reported that the failure mode was indicative of a form of brittle failure, and noted that design and manufacturing quality issues (size, metal hardness and radius size) were the likely reason (s) for the failure. They also noted that an improved nose gear assembly had already been designed and manufactured prior to this flight due to concerns about the limitations of the existing design, and that installation of the improved design (p/n 135A-40-511 rev. G) is pending as part of the on-going airplane type certification process.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AIRPLANE SUSTAINED A NOSE LANDING GEAR (NLG) STRUT SHAFT FAILURE DURING LANDING ROLLOUT, AND THE NOSE GEAR TIRE ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY SKIDDED TO A STOP ON THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE STRUT. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE NLG LEG ASSEMBLY (PN 135-40-511 REV. D) REVEALED THAT IT HAD FAILED JUST ABOVE THE SWIVEL LINK WHERE THE NOSE GEAR SHAFT ATTACHES TO THE STRUT LEG. COMPANY ENGINEERING PERSONNEL REPORTED THAT THE FAILURE MODE WAS INDICATIVE OF A FORM OF BRITTLE FAILURE, AND NOTED THAT DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING QUALITY ISSUES (SIZE, METAL HARDNESS AND RADIUS SIZE) WERE THE LIKELY REASON (S) FOR THE FAILURE. THEY ALSO NOTED THAT AN IMPROVED NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY HAD ALREADY BEEN DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT THE LIMITATIONS OF THE EXISTING DESIGN, AND THAT INSTALLATION OF THE IMPROVED DESIGN (P/N 135A-40-511 REV. G) IS PENDING AS PART OF THE ON-GOING AIRPLANE TYPE CERTIFICATION PROCESS.