Event GAA18CA272

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he was seated in the front seat of the tandem seat, tailwheel equipped airplane, and made a three-point landing and applied full aft stick pressure once the tailwheel was on the ground. He could not recall the airspeed, but the airplane abruptly veered to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and subsequently the right wing struck the ground. The pilot asserted that the loss of control was the result of a mechanical failure of the right main landing gear wheel race and bearings. The pilot-rated passenger, who was a flight instructor, reported that the purpose of the flight was to perform a pre-buy inspection for the pilot. He reported that there was a slight crosswind from the left about 3 knots during the three-point landing, and the stall warning horn activated. He described the landing as "perfect", but during the landing roll, the airplane veered hard to the left and ground looped. The Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Safety Inspector who examined the airplane after the accident determined that the right main landing gear wheel assembly "folded under the end of the gear leg and then separated." The airplane manufacture examined the wheel assembly, and reported that, "an extreme sideload on the right tire caused the subsequent cascading failure of the right wheel and brake assembly." The METAR at the accident airport reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was from 180° at 7 knots. The pilot landed to runway 22L. According to the pilot, he was seated in the front seat of the tandem-seat, tailwheel-equipped airplane and made a three-point landing and applied full aft stick pressure once the tailwheel was on the ground. He could not recall the airspeed, but the airplane abruptly veered to the left. The right main landing gear (MLG) collapsed, and subsequently, the the right wing struck the ground. The pilot-rated passenger, who was a flight instructor, reported that the purpose of the flight was to perform a prebuy inspection for the pilot. He reported that there was a slight crosswind from the left about 3 knots during the three-point landing, and the stall warning horn activated. He described the landing as "perfect," but during the landing roll, the airplane veered hard left and ground looped. The Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector who examined the airplane after the accident determined that the right MLG wheel assembly "folded under the end of the gear leg and then separated." The airplane manufacturer examined the wheel assembly and reported that "an extreme sideload on the right tire caused the subsequent cascading failure of the right wheel and brake assembly," which likely resulted from the ground loop. The METAR at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 180° at 7 knots. The pilot landed on runway 22L. 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 oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Wheel/ski/float-Capability exceeded