- Date
- June 28, 2008, 12:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Somerset, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N87787Taylorcraft DCO-65
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080628839479A
- Case key
- 68345
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 right main landing gear strut failure due to metal fatigue.
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
The airline transport rated pilot made a successful landing to runway 13 on a turf airstrip. During the landing roll, at about 30 miles per hour, the passenger stated that he heard a "loud pop" and the aircraft came to a complete stop. A Federal Aviation Inspector on scene noted the right main landing gear strut had failed. The failure was consistent with corrosion and subsequent metal fatigue. Substantial damage was determined to the right wing strut, rudder, tail wheel assembly, right main landing gear and the propeller. Both the pilot and passenger were able to exit the airplane unassisted and uninjured. Winds were reported at the time of the accident to be from 140 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 18 knots.
Factual narrative
The airline transport rated pilot made a successful landing to runway 13 on a turf airstrip. During the landing roll, at about 30 miles per hour, the passenger stated that he heard a "loud pop" and the aircraft came to a complete stop. A Federal Aviation Inspector on scene noted the right main landing gear strut had failed. The failure was consistent with corrosion and subsequent metal fatigue. Substantial damage was determined to the right wing strut, rudder, tail wheel assembly, right main landing gear and the propeller. Both the pilot and passenger were able to exit the airplane unassisted and uninjured. Winds were reported at the time of the accident to be from 140 degrees at 9 knots gusting to 18 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N87787
- Reported as
- Taylorcraft DCO-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- L5485
- Airframe hours
- 2,132
- Engine
- Continental AC-65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard Davies
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 53TX · Somerset, TX
- Destination
- 53TX · Somerset, TX
- Airport
- 53TX · Cannon Filed, runway 13, 2,880 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 15,900 total · 52 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 9 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KSSF, 8 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.