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CEN12LA494

2012-07-28 · Columbus, Indiana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BAK

Current FAA registration · N282DL

Make / Model
VAN'S AIRCRAFT RV-7
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2D5BF

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The failure of the right main landing gear attach bolt for undetermined reasons because the bolt was not received for examination.

Factual narrative

On July 28, 2012, at 1300 eastern daylight time, a Oscar D Lee III RV-7 experimental amateur-built airplane, N282DL, sustained substantial damage when it exited the runway during takeoff from the Columbus Municipal Airport, Columbus, Indiana. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument rules flight plan was filed for the flight, which was originating at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the pilot, about mid-point of the takeoff roll, the airplane veered sharply to the left. The airplane exited the runway and came to rest upright. Examination of the airplane showed the right wing and aileron were buckled, and the right main landing gear was partially collapsed. Examination of the airplane by an experienced RV builder/owner/repairman revealed the right main landing gear attach bolt had sheared and failed. Under direction of the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the owner shipped the failed bolt to the NTSB materials laboratory for examination. The NTSB materials laboratory did not receive the bolt and the owner could not locate the shipment. Subsequently, the reason for the bolt failure could not be determined. The most recent conditional inspection was completed on October 12, 2011. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated 272.5 total hours. About midpoint in the takeoff roll, the airplane veered sharply to the left before exiting the runway and coming to rest upright. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear attach bolt had sheared and failed. The failed bolt was lost during shipment to the NTSB’s materials laboratory; consequently, the reason for the bolt failure could not be determined. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main landing gear attach sec-Failure - C
  • C Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_CEN12LA494.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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