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20080813842759I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Maule MXT-7-160 · St Louis, MO · August 13, 2008

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 13, 2008 · 18:00 local
Place
St Louis, MO
Airport
Spirit Of St Louis
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N31865
Reported as
Maule MXT7160
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
870 total560 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N31865Registered now · Maule MXT-7-160S/N 17003C · Built 1995Airframe modelMaule MXT-7-160Engine modelLycoming O-320-B2DReciprocating

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) privacy data omitted stated she crossed the runway threshold at 65 KIAS and touched down on the main gear on or just past the runway numbers. As the nose gear touched down it collapsed. Furthermore, she stated that when she touched down the longitudinal axis of the aircraft was aligned with the runway. The distance from the displaced threshold to taxiway A4 is 1,750'. A post event examination of the runway revealed the nose gear collapsed at a point approximately abeam the midpoint to taxiway A4 and skidded to a stop at a point just short of taxiway A5. The distance of the skid was approximately 500'. An examination of the nose tire did not indicate any flat spots or abnormal wear or damage. Initial examination of the aircaft has not revealed any structural damage to the aircraft firewall. The nose gear mount tubes were found to be bent on the left and right sides when we examined the aircraft. It can not be determined if the bent nose gear mount is a result of the accident or previous hard landings. It appeared when the nose gear touched down the hydraulic fluid depleted from the nose strut completely collapsed resulting in the breakage of the nose gear oleo tube p/n 4049B.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED SHE CROSSED THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD AT 65 KIAS AND TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAIN GEAR ON OR JUST PAST THE RUNWAY NUMBERS. AS THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN IT COLLAPSED. FURTHERMORE, SHE STATED THAT WHEN SHE TOUCHED DOWN THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY. THE DISTANCE FROM THE DISPLACED THRESHOLD TO TAXIWAY A4 IS 1,750'. A POST EVENT EXAMINATION OF THE RUNWAY REVEALED THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AT A POINT APPROXIMATELY ABEAM THE MIDPOINT TO TAXIWAY A4 AND SKIDDED TO A STOP AT A POINT JUST SHORT OF TAXIWAY A5. THE DISTANCE OF THE SKID WAS APPROXIMATELY 500'. AN EXAMINATION OF THE NOSE TIRE DID NOT INDICATE ANY FLAT SPOTS OR ABNORMAL WEAR OR DAMAGE. INITIAL EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCAFT HAS NOT REVEALED ANY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT FIREWALL. THE NOSE GEAR MOUNT TUBES WERE FOUND TO BE BENT ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES WHEN WE EXAMINED THE AIRCRAFT. IT CAN NOT BE DETERMINED IF THE BENT NOSE GEAR MOUNT IS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT OR PREVIOUS HARD LANDINGS. IT APPEARED WHEN THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN THE HYDRAULIC FLUID DEPLETED FROM THE NOSE STRUT COMPLETELY COLLAPSED RESULTING IN THE BREAKAGE OF THE NOSE GEAR OLEO TUBE P/N 4049B.