MIA00LA192

The flight instructor stated he and the student were performing touch-and-go landings, and the student was flying the airplane. The instructor further stated that during a touch-and-go landing, immediately on touchdown, a loud bang was heard and felt, and both he and the student observed a white object depart the right side of the aircraft. The instructor said he applied power, executing a go-around, and then verified that the nose gear was missing from the aircraft. The instructor said that they then proceeded to Lakeland airport to land, and while landing the nose strut appeared to give way, and the aircraft settled on its nose. A metallurgical examination of the damaged nose landing gear assembly by the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory revealed that all fractures were typical of an overstress condition.

On June 28, 2000, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Europa XS Tri-gear, N912EA, registered to Europa Aviation Inc., and operated as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, landed with a missing nose gear at Lakeland, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The experimental aircraft incurred substantial damage, and the commercial-rated flight instructor and dual student were not injured. The flight originated in Zephyrhills, Florida, the same day, about 1210.

The flight instructor stated he and the student were performing touch-and-go landings at Zephyrhills, Florida, and the student was flying the airplane. The instructor further stated that immediately on touchdown a loud bang was heard and felt, and both he and the student observed a white object depart to the right side of the aircraft, and he assumed it was a portion of the nose gear, so he applied power to perform a go-around. The instructor said that after a second approach and a look at the object, they both knew it was the wheel pant (fairing), and they assumed that the wheel was in it. He stated that he was unable to reach anyone on Zephyrhills Unicom, so they flew by the Plant City airport, and confirmed that the nose wheel was missing. He stated they then contacted Lakeland tower, and advised them of the problem, and Lakeland airport proceeded to prepare for their arrival. According to the flight instructor, during the landing he held the nose wheel off as long as possible, but upon settling, the nose strut appeared to give way, and the aircraft settled on its nose.

The separated nose gear side strut assembly was retained, and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory in Washington, D. C. for metallurgical examination. The examination revealed that all fractures were typical of an overstress condition, and the pieces of the damaged landing gear assembly did not reveal the presence of dark discolored regions that are usually associated with preexisting cracking. Magnified examinations (up to 15X) showed no evidence of excessive porosity, large inclusions, weld bead buildup, or any other metallurgical or welding defects.