- Date
- May 30, 2003, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N14124North American T-28A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030530014209A
- Case key
- 57195
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 failure of the nose wheel landing gear shimmy damper for undetermined reasons.
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
During landing, the airplane touched down at approximately 75 knots. When the nose wheel came down and touched, there was a "minor high frequency shimmy and the pilot immediately pulled the stick back and the shimmy stopped." As the airspeed bled off, the nose wheel came back in contact with the runway and "tracked straight down the runway." At approximately 15 - 18 knots, the airplane suddenly started to shimmy and was "so bad, the pilot couldn't even see." Examination of the airplane logbooks revealed the nose wheel shimmy damper was repacked prior to the last departure.
Factual narrative
On May 30, 2003, at 1400 central daylight time, a North American T-28A single-engine airplane, N14124, registered to and operated by a private individual, sustained substantial damage during landing roll at the West Houston Airport (IWS), near Houston, Texas. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight departed from the Richard Lloyd James Jr. Airport (RVS), near Tulsa, Oklahoma at 1200 and was destined for IWS.
The 1,224-hour pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) that while landing on runway 15, a 3,900-foot long asphalt runway, the airplane touched down at approximately 75 knots. When the nose wheel touched down, there was a "minor high frequency shimmy and he immediately pulled the stick back and the shimmy stopped." As the airspeed bled off, the nose wheel came back in contact with the runway and "tracked straight down the runway." At approximately 15 to 18 knots, the airplane suddenly started to shimmy "so bad, he couldn't even see." He stopped the airplane, and then taxied to the ramp to inspect the airplane.
Examination of the aircraft by an FAA investigator, who responded to the site of the accident, revealed the nose gearbox, lower engine cowlings, and nose gear doors were damaged. Further inspection revealed the forward engine firewall was structurally damaged. Examination of the runway by the pilot revealed 9 1/2 nose wheel tire oscillation marks within a distance of 74 feet long..
Examination of the aircraft logbooks revealed the nose wheel shimmy damper was repacked prior to departing RVS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14124
- Reported as
- North American T-28A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51-3693
- Airframe hours
- 5,664
- Engine
- Wright R-1820-56S, 1,300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2002 · 27.2 hours before
- Departed
- RVS · Tulsa, OK
- Destination
- IWS · Houston, TX
- Airport
- IWS · West Houston Airport, runway 15, 3,953 × 75 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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- November 23, 2002
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,224 total · 269 in this make and model · 1,224 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N14124 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.