NYC97LA112

The two pilots aboard were both certified flight instructors. The purpose of the flight was for one of the two pilots to renew the others tailwheel currency. During the landing left main gear collapsed. The instructing pilot performed the landing. He stated 'I landed the aircraft three point and let the aircraft decelerate in a ground roll of 1,000 feet. With approximately 3,000 feet of runway remaining the [other pilot] asked if I wanted some brakes, I said 'just a little bit.' We were traveling below 20 knots by now. The right seat was not equipped with brakes. After I responded...I felt the aircraft swing 180 degrees right, rapidly. The left wheel broke off, and the tube collapsed. The aircraft came to rest on the left wing, right main and tail wheel. The propeller striking the runway stopped the engine.' Examination of the airplane revealed that the left main landing gear had 'heavy corrosion (rust) where the strut joined the axle,' which was at the point of separation.

On June 10, 1997, about 1110 eastern daylight time, a Luscombe LL-8-E, N1750K, was substantially damaged when the gear collapsed during the landing roll, at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, Charlottesville, Virginia. The two certificated flight instructors were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight. No flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

In the NTSB Pilot Operator Aircraft Accident Report Form, the pilot stated the purpose of the flight was to renew another flight instructor's tailwheel currency. The pilot then stated the following:

"We had been in the local practice area doing turns, steep turns, stalls, slow flight and were returning to the airport for landing. As per our prior arrangement [the flight instructor receiving instruction] flew the aircraft to short final where I took the aircraft for a full stop landing. I landed the aircraft three point and let the aircraft decelerate in a ground roll of 1,000 feet. With approximately 3,000 feet of runway remaining [student instructor] asked if I wanted some brakes, I said "just a little bit." We were traveling below 20 knots by now. The right seat was not equipped with brakes. After I responded...I felt the aircraft swing 180 degrees right, rapidly. The left wheel broke off, and the tube collapsed. The aircraft came to rest on the left wing, right main and tail wheel. The propeller striking the runway stopped the engine."

The wreckage was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector. The Inspector stated that "the point at which the landing gear broke has heavy corrosion (rust) where the strut joined the axle."