What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft was conducting glider tow operations. Pilot landed runway 7 uneventfully. Pilot taxied off south side of runway onto turf, taxing parallel to runway to pick up next glider tow in glider staging area south of the approach end of runway 25. Pilot states that there was a glider parked close to the normal taxi lane, and he crossed the paved perpendicular taxiway about 20 feet to the left of his normal track to avoid it. The transition from turf to pavement at this point is not flat, and the abrupt surface change is not obvious visually. The nose wheel encountered the pavement lip measuring approximately 4 inches. The force of the nose wheel impacting the pavement lip at normal taxi speed caused the nose gear fork to fail aft in overload. The fork casting separated from the oleo tube permitting the bottom of the oleo tube to impact the pavement. The result of the oleo tube impacting the pavement while the aircraft was still moving forward is overload failure of the nose gear mount castings, separation of the nose gear from the firewall and belly, deformation of the firewall and damage to belly skins and nose gear support structure. These failures also permitted the propeller to impact the pavement, causing propeller damage. No pre-accident fractures or failures in the affected areras were detected. The sole occupant was uninjured.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTING GLIDER TOW OPERATIONS. PILOT LANDED RUNWAY 7 UNEVENTFULLY. PILOT TAXIED OFF SOUTH SIDE OF RUNWAY ONTO TURF, TAXING PARALLEL TO RUNWAY TO PICK UP NEXT GLIDER TOW IN GLIDER STAGING AREA SOUTH OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 25. PILOT STATES THAT THERE WAS A GLIDER PARKED CLOSE TO THE NORMAL TAXI LANE, AND HE CROSSED THE PAVED PERPENDICULAR TAXIWAY ABOUT 20 FEET TO THE LEFT OF HIS NORMAL TRACK TO AVOID IT. THE TRANSITION FROM TURF TO PAVEMENT AT THIS POINT IS NOT FLAT, AND THE ABRUPT SURFACE CHANGE IS NOT OBVIOUS VISUALLY. THE NOSE WHEEL ENCOUNTERED THE PAVEMENT LIP MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 4 INCHES. THE FORCE OF THE NOSE WHEEL IMPACTING THE PAVEMENT LIP AT NORMAL TAXI SPEED CAUSED THE NOSE GEAR FORK TO FAIL AFT IN OVERLOAD. THE FORK CASTING SEPARATED FROM THE OLEO TUBE PERMITTING THE BOTTOM OF THE OLEO TUBE TO IMPACT THE PAVEMENT. THE RESULT OF THE OLEO TUBE IMPACTING THE PAVEMENT WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS STILL MOVING FORWARD IS OVERLOAD FAILURE OF THE NOSE GEAR MOUNT CASTINGS, SEPARATION OF THE NOSE GEAR FROM THE FIREWALL AND BELLY, DEFORMATION OF THE FIREWALL AND DAMAGE TO BELLY SKINS AND NOSE GEAR SUPPORT STRUCTURE. THESE FAILURES ALSO PERMITTED THE PROPELLER TO IMPACT THE PAVEMENT, CAUSING PROPELLER DAMAGE. NO PRE-ACCIDENT FRACTURES OR FAILURES IN THE AFFECTED ARERAS WERE DETECTED. THE SOLE OCCUPANT WAS UNINJURED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.