20100918047389A

On 09/8/2010 the pilot/builder of this amateur built RV-6A aircraft topped off the fuel, and flew from Kokomo municipal airport to 8I3. He then departed 8I3 for a local flight of less than an hour, returned and landed again at 8I3. On his third flight, he carried a passenger. By the time he returned to land, he estimated that he had used 10 gallons of fuel, leaving 28 gallons onboard. He calculated his weight to be 240 pounds for the passenger, 170 pounds for himself, and 168 pounds of fuel. This put him under his gross weight of 1750 pounds by 53 pounds. The runway is oriented north and south, with the condition reported as "fair condition." Power lines 62 feet high located 1021 feet north of runway 18 lead to a displaced threshold of 292 feet, and a total runway length of 2048 feet. The aircraft approached and landed on runway 18. The pilot described this landing to be a normal landing, touching down at approximately 80 mph. As the aircraft decelerated, it rolled over a very slight rise in the sod runway, followed by a slight depression. The pilot estimated that the aircraft was traveling at 40 to 50 miles per hour as it crossed the depression. At this point, the pilot stated he heard a loud bang and noticed the nose was lower than normal. He applied full nose up elevator, but within a few seconds, the aircraft was on its back. The aircraft is equipped with a Lycoming O-360 engine, with a constant speed propeller. As the aircraft traveled over the slight rise and into the following slight depression, signs of scraping are visible on the ground, matching the width of the nose wheel pant. The scrape marks deepen and take on the shape of the front of the nose gear as the aircraft travels through the depression and up the other side. The high to low of the runway in this area of rise/depression is less than 4 inches in 75 feet. 45 feet after the scrape marks deepen, and take on the shape of the front of the nose gear fork, the scrape marks cease, followed by one predominant gouge to the right of the aircraft centerline (west) and a lesser gouge to the left (east) of the aircraft centerline, consistent with the diameter of the propeller. No other marks are visible on the ground from these last two gouges to where the aircraft ended up, upside down with the nose facing north. The outer foot of each propeller blade is bent aft at the ends, with no twisting. The propeller spinner is crushed to the front bulkhead, with no damage to the engine cowling. The nose gear fork has grass and soil imbedded in the front of the fork. The ground scar shows the wheel pant dragging, followed by the retaining nut at the end of the strut gouging into the soil, then the front of the fork gouging into the soil. The strut curled aft and tucked under, with the fork ending up 90 degrees to its designed position. The strut had paint worn off on its front for a foot above the fork. The aircraft total time is 205 hours. The last condition inspection was 09/10/2010. This nose gear leg was modified by van's mandatory service bulletin 07-11-09, dated November 9, 2007.