- Date
- February 28, 2009, 16:10 local (Mar 1, 2009, 00:10 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Springs, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N118CKKreps Thorp T-18-C
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA-RAL-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090228003669A
- Case key
- 73414
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
A loss of directional control due to the fatigue failure of a tubular steel gear leg along a corroded weld line.
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
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped experimental airplane had just touched down for a full-stop landing when the airplane started veering to the left. Although the pilot applied rudder and brake inputs to correct the airplane's alignment, the airplane did not respond. The pilot then added power to help correct the veering, but the airplane departed the left side of the runway and impacted a runway/taxiway sign. A postaccident inspection of the tubular steel left gear leg revealed that it had partially failed along a corroded weld line, and had bent backwards from its normal position. Corrosion/rust was present on about one inch of the fracture face, and along a wider area of the interior wall of the gear leg adjacent to the fracture. The fracture itself continued around about 70 percent of the circumference of the tubular leg.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tail wheel-equipped experimental airplane had just touched down for a full stop landing when the airplane started veering to the left. Although the pilot, who had about 420 flight hours in the airplane, applied rudder and brake inputs to correct the airplane's alignment, the airplane did not respond. The pilot then added power to help correct the veering, but the airplane departed the left side of the runway and impacted a runway/taxiway sign. A post-accident inspection of the tubular steel left gear leg revealed that it had partially failed along a corroded weld line, and had bent backwards from its normal position. Corrosion/rust was present on about one inch of the fracture face, and along a wider area of the interior wall of the gear leg adjacent to the fracture. The fracture itself continued around about 70 percent of the circumference of the tubular leg.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N118CK
- Reported as
- Kreps Thorp T-18-C (T-18-C)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1275
- Airframe hours
- 996
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- George L. Avans
- Registered owner
- Glavans Rev Trust
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 1, 2008 · 996 hours before
- Departed
- SBA · Santa Barbara, CA
- Destination
- PSP · Palm Springs, CA
- Airport
- PSP · Palm Springs Intl, runway 13L, 4,952 × 75 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 6, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 652 total · 421 in this make and model · 621 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Observed at
- PSP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.