A Series Of Events

Editorial Staff

Monday, February 27, 2023 at 02:27 PM ET

Verified

Lisa Turner/Kitplanes

Key Takeaways:

A pilot experienced violent nosewheel oscillations during landing, caused by an unperceived 9-knot tailwind combined with high density altitude, leading to significantly increased ground speed at touchdown.
The intense vibrations severed the left brake line, resulting in a complete loss of directional control and an uncontrolled excursion that ended with the aircraft impacting a hangar.
The key takeaway emphasizes the critical importance of accurate wind awareness for selecting the appropriate runway, especially at high-altitude airports, to prevent excessive wheel speeds that can induce nose gear oscillations and subsequent control issues.

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For 18 years, I flew a tricycle-gear Aero Designs Pulsar XP experimental out of a non-towered, high-altitude airport in Southern California, making at least 2500 takeoffs/landings at the airport. Last September, I flew a breakfast flight to an airport about 30 nm away, landed with buddies and all was well.

Landing out of the return flight, the AWOS indicated calm winds, density altitude at 8300 feet. I set up for a routine landing on Runway 26, following a Mooney. I approached at normal speed: over the fence at 80 mph. I touched down at 75 mph and dropped the nosewheel to the runway. That’s when the castering nosewheel began violent oscillations. I had checked the system a week before and made several subsequent landings with no problems.