On June 24, 1994, a Grumman G-164A (registration N5321) was involved in an aviation accident near Coy, AR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The shearing of the left main landing gear axle bolts during landing rollout, which caused the strut to dig into the ground and the aircraft to nose over. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Axle bolts on the left main landing gear sheared during rollout at an agricultural airstrip, causing the strut to dig in and the aircraft to come to rest inverted.
What happened
The accident occurred during the landing rollout phase at an agricultural airstrip. As the aircraft was decelerating after touchdown, the axle bolts on the left main landing gear assembly failed structurally. The bolts had been installed on the airframe for approximately 1,700 flight hours prior to the incident.
The investigation
Post-accident examination revealed that the left main landing gear strut penetrated the ground surface following the bolt failure. This penetration caused the nose of the aircraft to pitch forward violently.
Findings
The mechanical failure resulted in the aircraft noosing over and coming to rest in an inverted position on the airstrip. The sequence of events was initiated by the shearing of the axle bolts under operational loads during the ground roll.
Probable cause
The shearing of the left main landing gear axle bolts during landing rollout, which caused the strut to dig into the ground and the aircraft to nose over.