20140930023689I

I RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF EXPERIMENTAL MURPHY MOOSE AIRCRAFT N536DB INCIDENT ON 09/30/2014 AT 1420 LOCAL TIME. THE TOWER INCIDENT REPORT (FAA FORM 8020-9) ON 9/30/2014 AT 2004Z STATED ?TOUCHED DOWN TOO HARD, GEAR COLLAPSED?. FAA INSPECTOR MIKE DENARO ASSISTED ME ON THIS INCIDENT WITH INITIAL CONTACT AND GATHERING EVIDENCE AT AHN.

INSPECTOR DENARO HAD THE FIRST RESPONDER MR. DONAVAN CAREY OF BEN EPPS FIRE RESCUE TAKE PICTURES OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY AND GAVE HIM PERMISSION TO MOVE THE AIRCRAFT TO AERO SERVICES, INC.

INSPECTOR DENARO AND I TRAVELED TO BEN EPPS AIRPORT IN ATHENS, GA ON WEDNESDAY 10/01/2014. WE ARRIVED ON SCENE AT 1000 LOCAL TIME. WE MET WITH THE AIRPORT MANAGER MR. TIM BEGGERLY AND HE PROVIDED US WITH A COPY OF THE AIRPORT INCIDENT REPORT. THE REPORT STATED ?A HARD LANDING CAUSED THE LANDING GEAR TO COLLAPSE AND THE AIRCRAFT?S PROPELLER TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT SLID ON ITS BELLY DOWN THE RUNWAY APPROXIMATELY 700 FEET WHERE IT CAME TO A STOP. UPON ARRIVAL ON SCENE THE PILOT HAD EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND REPORTED THAT HE WAS NOT INJURED. NO FUEL HAD LEAKED FROM THE AIRCRAFT.?

WE THEN MET WITH MR. ROBERT MCDOWELL OF AERO SERVICES, INC. WHO INFORMED US THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN MOVED TO A PRIVATE HANGAR. HE ESCORTED US TO THE HANGAR AND OPENED IT UP UNTIL THE OWNER ARRIVED. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER AND PROVIDED A WRITTEN STATEMENT, PILOT LOGBOOK, AND AIRCRAFT RECORDS. HIS STATEMENT READS AS FOLLOWS:

?I WAS PRACTICING STOL LANDINGS. I HAD SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED ONE. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE SECOND STOL LANDING. I STALLED THE AIRCRAFT FROM AN ESTIMATED 5 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT DROPPED TO THE RUNWAY WHEN I PROBABLY PULLED THE NOSE A LITTLE TOO HIGH.?

I HAD THE PIC ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ GO THROUGH THE FAA FORM 8020-23 WITH ME AS I GATHERED INFORMATION AND REVIEWED THE RECORDS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INITIALLY AGREED TO PILOT ERROR AS THE OPERATIONAL FACTOR. I THEN TOOK A WRITTEN STATEMENT FROM A WITNESS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAS THE SAME TYPE OF AIRCRAFT IN HIS HANGAR NEXT DOOR. HE INVITED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT HIS AIRCRAFT TO LOOK AT THE MLG STRUCTURE SO WE COULD GET A BEFORE AND AFTER COMPARISON. AS WE MET WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CAME OVER AND SAID THAT HE CHANGED HIS MIND ABOUT PILOT ERROR BEING A FACTOR. HE STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD A REDESIGNED THE MLG SUPPORT STRUCTURE AVAILABLE FOR THE AIRCRAFT AND THAT IT MUST BE A DESIGN FLAW. HE STATED THE AIRCRAFT SHOULD BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN A 5 FOOT DROP WITH NO PAYLOAD AND HE WENT OVER THE WEIGHT SPECIFICATIONS WITH US. AFTER GATHERING ALL THE FACTS I TOLD THE OWNER HE COULD START HIS REPAIR.

I WAS CONTACTED BY ATHENS TOWER MANAGER MR. DARREL CHASE ON 10/06/2014. HE STATED THAT TOWER STAFF HAD OBSERVED N536DB TOUCHING DOWN VERY HARD SIMILAR TO ?NAVY CARRIER LANDINGS? AND THEY WERE SURPRISED THE AIRCRAFT MLG DID NOT COLLAPSE EARLIER.

I RETURNED TO AHN ON 10/17/2014 TO SEE THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE DAMAGE, AS THE OWNER HAD REMOVED THE AIRCRAFT FLOOR STRUCTURE TO GAIN ACCESS. I TOOK PICTURES OF THE INTERNAL GEAR SUPPORT WHERE IT FAILED. I ALSO VERBALLY COUNSELED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON CFR 61.54 FLIGHT REVIEW REQUIREMENTS BECAUSE HE WAS MORE THAN THREE MONTHS OVERDUE. I HAVE INSTRUCTED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ NOT TO FLY UNTIL HE HAS COMPLETED THE FLIGHT REVIEW REQUIREMENT.

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO PUT THE AIRCRAFT UP FOR SALE ?AS IS?. I RECEIVED NOTIFICATION THAT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PASSED HIS FLIGHT REVIEW ON 10/18/2014. NO FURTHER ACTION IS NECESSARY.