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GAA17CA552

2017-09-21 · Franklin, Pennsylvania, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FKL

N40WH has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (KEYSTONE HELICOPTER CORP S-76C, built 2009), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The failure of the weld that connects the left main landing gear and the axle during the takeoff roll.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, the experimental tailwheel-equipped airplane's left wing dropped. The pilot corrected with right aileron input and back pressure on the control yoke. However, the airplane veered off the runway, bounced, and impacted in a right wing low attitude. Subsequently the airplane nosed over. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the weld that connects the left main landing gear and the axle failed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, the experimental tailwheel-equipped airplane's left wing dropped. The pilot corrected with right aileron input and back pressure on the control yoke. However, the airplane veered off the runway, bounced, and then impacted the runway in a right-wing-low attitude. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the weld that connects the left main landing gear and the axle had failed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. 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 gear strut/axle/truck-Failure - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not specified

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA552.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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