At 1558 Mountain time, the light sport aircraft was substantially damaged when its right main landing gear separated during an aborted landing. The airplane subsequently impacted on the runway, departed off the side and nosed over. The two flight instructors on board sustained minor injuries; visual conditions prevailed and winds were calm. One of the instructors later said, as they started to flare during a landing, the airplane ballooned. They elected to perform a go-around. As power was advanced, the airplane settled, touching down on the left main landing gear, which subsequently broke aft. The airplane came down on the runway and slid for 300 feet, departing the left side and flipping over onto its back. An examination of the airplane showed crush damage to the composite wings, fuselage, vertical stabilizer and rudder. The airplanes nose gear and right main landing gear were broken aft. An initial examination of the left main landing gear showed a separation at the main gear lower attach point behind the rear reinforcement. Total airframe time was approximately 25 hours.
March 10, 2007, Albuquerque, N.Mex., Flight Design USA CT-SW
At 1558 Mountain time, the light sport aircraft was substantially damaged when its right main landing gear separated during an aborted landing. The airplane subsequently impacted on the runway, departed off the side and nosed over. The two flight instructors on board sustained minor injuries; visual conditions prevailed and winds were calm.
Key Takeaways:
- A light sport aircraft sustained substantial damage, and two instructors received minor injuries, during an aborted landing attempt.
- The incident occurred after the aircraft ballooned during flare, prompting a go-around where it subsequently settled, touched down hard, and its left main landing gear broke aft.
- The aircraft then slid 300 feet, departed the runway, and nosed over, with examination confirming the landing gear separation on an aircraft with only approximately 25 hours total airframe time.
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