- Date
- April 27, 2023, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Stratford, CT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- C-GPEXGilbert R. Ringer GP4
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- TSB Canada, FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 107809
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
A failure of the left main landing gear down locking mechanism, which resulted in a collapse of that landing gear and a subsequent runway excursion.
Findings · 1
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 pilot/owner was landing the experimental, amateur-built airplane at the conclusion of a night cross-country flight. The pilot described that he flared the airplane slightly high and that it, “skipped and then settled.” The landing roll seemed normal until the left main landing gear collapsed and the airplane departed the runway. The pilot further characterized that the touchdown wasn’t particularly hard, compared to landings he had previously made in other airplanes. The airplane’s horizontal stabilizer and elevator were substantially damaged during the runway excursion. Following the accident, the pilot had the airplane repaired by its original builder, which included replacing a section of threaded rod on the left main landing gear that had broken, which was part of the landing gear down-locking mechanism. Based on this information, it is likely that the failure of the threaded rod resulted in the landing gear collapse and subsequent runway excursion.
Aircraft
- Registration
- C-GPEX
- Reported as
- Gilbert R. Ringer GP4
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- GP4-438
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 57
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 2023 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- BGR · Bangor, ME
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- BDR · Igor I Sikorsky Meml, runway 24, 4,677 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 16, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,936 total · 6 in this make and model · 1,860 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- BDR
- METAR
- KBDR 261452Z 09009KT 10SM BKN009 09/06 A3026 RMK AO2 SLP248 T00940061 50001
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 27, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 MB in all.