- Date
- July 5, 1994, 16:17 local (22:17 UTC)
- Place
- Heber City, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- CGPURPitts S1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 41969
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
Failure of main landing gear axle hardware. Factors include collapse of main landing gear strut.
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 stated that he landed somewhat hard on the main landing gear, recording 2 g's on his accelerometer. The right main landing gear wheel and axle separated and the landing gear strut collapsed. Post-crash inspection revealed that the four attachment bolts were excessively worn and were apparently improperly torqued.
Factual narrative
On July 5, 1994, approximately 1617 mountain daylight time, an experimental Pitts S-1 was substantially damaged during roll out when the right wheel/axle attachment hardware failed after landing at Heber City, Utah. The private pilot, who owned the aircraft, was uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which originated at Heber City at 1601. There was no fire and no report of an ELT actuating.
FAA inspectors noted that the nuts and bolts securing the axle to the aircraft were excessively worn, and indicated that the nuts had sheared their threads before separating. The pilot noted that four 1/4-20 bolts failed, causing wheel separation and subsequent gear failure, and indicated that the bolts had not been correctly torqued.
Aircraft
- Registration
- CGPUR
- Reported as
- Pitts S1
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- R-2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Burke, Jonathon
- Registered owner
- Brian Bennett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- 36U · Heber Valley, runway 21, 6,900 × 75 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 894 total · 820 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 18 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg