- Date
- July 21, 2008, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rome, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N142CPMaule MT-7-235
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 29, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080721855109A
- Case key
- 68486
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 pilot's improper landing flare which resulted in a hard landing.
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
During the initial touchdown the nose gear collapsed. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the nose gear oleo strut was broken, and the firewall was buckled. Examination of the oleo strut by the National Transportation Safety Board materials laboratory revealed that all of the fractures were on a slant plane, and were consistent with overstress fracture. The fractures occurred under bending overstress. There was no indication of any pre-existing fatigue cracking or corrosion.
Factual narrative
On July 21, 2008, at 1030 eastern daylight time, a Maule MT-7-235, N142CP, nosed over during landing roll at Richard B. Russell Airport (RMG), Rome, Georgia. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airline transport pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Civil Air Patrol Incorporated, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The flight departed from RMG the same day at 1015.
The pilot stated that during the initial touchdown, the nose gear collapsed. He said that as the airplane slowed down, the propeller dug into the ground and the airplane stopped suddenly and nosed over inverted.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the nose gear oleo strut was broken, and the firewall was buckled. The nose gear oleo strut was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board materials laboratory for further examination. Examination of the oleo strut revealed that all of the fractures were on a slant plane, and were consistent with overstress fracture. There was no indication of any pre-existing fatigue cracking or corrosion.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N142CP
- Reported as
- Maule MT-7-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18075C
- Airframe hours
- 950
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-W1A5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Glider tow · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Civil Air Patrol Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2008 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- RMG · Rome, GA
- Airport
- RMG · Richard B Russell, runway 07, 4,497 × 100 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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 1, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- RMG
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2008, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 625 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.