- Date
- December 30, 1995, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7356VBellanca 17-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 22, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951230042849A
- Case key
- 19734
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 steering mechanism which rendered the aircraft uncontrollable on the ground. A factor was the rough and uneven terrain.
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 roll, when the nose wheel was lowered to the runway, the aircraft veered right and departed the side of the runway into rough terrain. During this excursion, the landing gear collapsed. Examination of the aircraft provided evidence of a failure of the left nose wheel steering rod. The fracture surface on the rod displayed evidence of overstress.
Factual narrative
On December 30, 1995, at 1315 mountain standard time, a Bellanca 17-30, N7356V, departed the side of the runway during landing at La Plata County Airport, Durango, Colorado. The CFI and student pilot were not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this Title 14 CFR Part 91 local area instructional flight and no flight plan was filed.
According to the flight instructor, the owner/student was performing touch-and-go landings and the landing which preceded the accident was smooth and on center line. The flight instructor said that when the nose wheel was lowered to the runway, the aircraft immediately veered to the right. He said he got on the rudder with the student and had full left rudder applied without effect. As the aircraft departed the side of the runway the landing gear collapsed in the rough terrain and the aircraft slid to a stop. There was no fire.
Examination of the aircraft provided evidence of a fractured left nose wheel steering rod. Examination of the rod provided evidence that the rod fractured at the adjustment nut. According to the attached metallurgist's report, the fracture surface exhibited features typical of an overstress separation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7356V
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30192
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Don Muchow
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1994 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- DRO
- Airport
- DRO · La Plata County, runway 20, 9,200 × 150 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
- 55
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 50 in this make and model · 12,800 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DRO, 1 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.