- Date
- April 15, 2003, 13:05 local (20:05 UTC)
- Place
- Medford, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N606HSHerb Six Northstar
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030415004919A
- Case key
- 56833
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 compressive buckling and collapse of the right main landing gear.
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
The pilot of the homebuilt Herb Six Northstar was cleared for takeoff on runway 32 at the Medford airport. He made a wings level rolling left turn from an intermediate taxiway and accelerated to takeoff while raising the tail. During this maneuver the right main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft ground looped to a stop. Post-crash examination revealed the right main landing gear shock strut cross tube had buckled in compression in two locations and although the aircraft was in a left turn onto the runway the right main landing gear/wheel was found folded underneath the center of the fuselage.
Factual narrative
On April 15, 2003, at 1305 Pacific daylight time, a homebuilt Herb Six Northstar, N606HS, registered to and being flown by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when the right main landing gear collapsed on takeoff roll at Medford, Oregon. The pilot was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was personal, was operated under 14CFR91, and was destined for a local airstrip in the Medford area.
The pilot reported (refer to NTSB Form 6120.1 attached) that after his pre-takeoff checks he was cleared for takeoff on runway 32 from the A-5 intersection (refer to attached diagram). He stated that "...I made a wings level left turn onto runway 32, advanced [the] throttle [and] raised the tail. At that moment the right front of the fuselage dropped. I thought I had blown my right main tire. I cut power [and] tried to keep straight on [the] centerline. [I] slowed to 5-10 mph [and] ground looped to [the] left...."
Additionally, he reported in part in the "recommendations" section of his submitted NTSB Form 6120.1 (attached), that "...cause was [the] failure of [the] r[igh]t gear leg strut that failed in compression...."
Post-accident examination revealed the right main landing gear shock strut cross tube (refer to graphic images 1 and 2) buckled in two locations: 1) at the wheel axle attach bolt and 2) several inches outboard of the shock strut fairing outboard edge. The buckling was characteristic of compression rather than tensile loading. The right main landing gear (wheel and "vee" strut) was observed folded under the aircraft's center fuselage with the weight resting on the outboard circumferential surface of the tire (refer to graphic images 3 and 4).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N606HS
- Reported as
- Herb Six Northstar
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 118
- Airframe hours
- 11
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Six, Herbert H.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · February 15, 2003 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- MFR · Medford, OR
- Destination
- OR96 · Medford, OR
- Airport
- MFR · Rogue Valley Intnl-Medford, runway 32, 8,798 × 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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 11, 2003
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 11 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- MFR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.