NTSB CAROL · Event
Event GAA18CA180
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The failure of the left main landing gear axle weld during the landing roll.
Factual narrative
The pilot in the experimental amateur-built, tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that this was his third test flight. During the landing roll, he heard a loud noise, and the left side of the airplane dropped. The airplane veered to the left and exited the left side of the runway. The left side of the airplane dug into the ground and the airplane nosed over. The FAA Aviation Safety Inspector that examined the airplane reported that the left main landing gear axle weld had failed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, the rudder and right upper wing spar. The pilot in the experimental amateur-built, tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that this was his third test flight. During the landing roll, he heard a loud noise, and the left side of the airplane dropped. The airplane veered to the left and exited the left side of the runway. The left side of the airplane dug into the ground and the airplane nosed over. The FAA aviation safety inspector who examined the airplane reported that the left main landing gear axle weld had failed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, the rudder, and the right upper wing spar. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Main gear strut/axle/truck-Failure - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2018_GAA18CA180.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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