- Date
- September 5, 1999, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Enterprise, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9872ACessna 190
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 30, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990905028549A
- Case key
- 47292
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The fatigue failure of the main landing gear spring.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After approximately one hour of pleasure flying in the local flying area, the two pilots returned to the departure airport for a full-stop landing. After touchdown, the airplane had rolled several hundred feet, when the pilot felt an unusual sensation in the airframe. At approximately the same time, the left spring leaf landing gear assembly separated from the airframe, and the airplane fell to the ground. The field examination of the fracture face disclosed evidence of a preexisting fracture in the steel material. During the follow-up examination of the fracture face, with the aid of a bench binocular microscope, revealed the presence of at least three small fracture areas typical of fatigue cracking. The origin of the fatigue cracking was damaged during the ultimate separation. The examination also disclosed that the fatigue origin was located in an area that showed fretting damage.
Factual narrative
On September 5, 1999, at 1100 central daylight time, a Cessna 190, N9872A, left main landing gear collapsed during a normal landing at the Enterprise Municipal Airport in Enterprise, Alabama. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot and pilot/passenger were not injured. The flight departed Enterprise, Alabama, at 1000.
According to the pilot, after approximately one hour of pleasure flying in the local flying area, the two pilots returned to Enterprise. After touchdown, the airplane had rolled several hundred feet, when the pilot felt an unusual sensation in the airframe. At approximately the same time, the left spring leaf landing gear assembly separated from the airframe, and the airplane fell to the ground.
The field examination of the fracture face disclosed evidence of a preexisting fracture in the steel material. During the follow-up examination of the fracture face, with the aid of a bench binocular microscope, revealed the presence of at least three small fracture areas typical of fatigue cracking. The width of the fatigue fracture on the surface of the spring was about 0.15 inches. The depth of the fatigue cracking extended to a depth of approximately 0.06 inches. The origin of the fatigue cracking was damaged during the ultimate separation. The examination also disclosed that the fatigue origin was located in an area that showed fretting damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9872A
- Reported as
- Cessna 190
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7574
- Airframe hours
- 2,790
- Engine
- Continental 67W, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harvey J. Schwab Sr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 28, 1999 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- EDN
- Airport
- Enterprise Municipal, runway 23, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 76
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15,500 total · 290 in this make and model · 14,000 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 31,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DHN, 35 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.