- Date
- March 5, 1994, 08:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lake City, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N20768Harper, Jack M. Mustang II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940305003679A
- Case key
- 37502
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 bolts which secure the right main landing gear wheel assembly to the strut assembly.
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 the landing roll the right main landing gear wheel separated from the airplane. The landing gear strut dug into the ground and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The pilot stated that the nuts used to secure the wheel assembly to the strut were not located. The threaded portion of the bolts were stripped.
Factual narrative
On March 5, 1994, about 0845 eastern standard time, a homebuilt Harper Mustang II, N20768, registered to Jack W. Harper, was substantially damaged during the landing roll at the Cannon Creek Airport, Lake City, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The private-rated pilot was not injured and the pilot-rated passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from the Herlong Airport, Jacksonville, Florida, about 45 minutes earlier.
The pilot and pilot-rated passenger both stated that the approach to land was normal and the wind was directly down the runway. At touchdown, the airplane's left wheel landed first, then the right wheel touched down about 8 to 10 feet later. The right wheel assembly separated, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane came to rest inverted about 175 feet further along the runway. The pilot stated that the nuts which secure the wheel to the landing gear were not located. The threads of the bolts were stripped.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20768
- Reported as
- Harper, Jack M. Mustang II
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1015
- Engine
- Continental IO-360A, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harper, Jack W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 14, 1993 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- 23J · Jacksonville, FL
- Airport
- 15FL · Cannon Creek, runway 27, 2,300 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 545 total · 115 in this make and model · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV, 33 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.