- Date
- July 14, 2018, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lexington, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N22GLSteen Skybolt
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 5, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- Case key
- 97795
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 (MLG) truss, which resulted in the MLG spreading apart.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After landing and while taxiing to the hangar, the bottom of the airplane's fuselage began to drag on the ground. Realizing that something was wrong, the pilot stopped the airplane and turned the engine magneto switch to off. Postaccident examination revealed that a fatigue failure of the main landing gear (MLG) truss had occurred, which allowed the MLG to spread apart.
Factual narrative
On July 14, 2018, about 1400 central daylight time, a Leake Steen Skybolt biplane, N22GL, was substantially damaged when the main landing gear failed while it was taxiing from landing at Cotton Patch Airport (TA75), Lexington, Texas. The pilot was not injured, but the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the accident site at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from TA75 about 1300. According to the pilot, he flew to Taylor, Texas, to refuel his airplane. He then flew back to TA75 and landed. While taxiing to the hangar, the bottom of the airplane's fuselage began to drag on the ground. Realizing that something was wrong, the pilot stopped the airplane and turned the engine magneto switch to off. Postaccident examination revealed the main landing gear had failed, allowing it to spread apart. The pilot later reported there was a fatigue failure in the landing gear truss.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22GL
- Reported as
- Steen Skybolt
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- GL-1
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 1,511
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 25, 2018 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- T74 · Taylor, TX
- Destination
- TA75 · Lexington, TX
- Airport
- TA75 · Cotton Patch
- Equipment
- None
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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 22, 2018
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 818 total · 429 in this make and model · 818 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- GYB
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 11, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.