What happened
During the landing phase at a private airstrip, the left main wheel separated from the aircraft, causing the plane to nose over. There were no reported fatalities or injuries among the occupants.
Shortly before the landing occurred, an adult passenger seated in the rear of the aircraft unfastened his seat belt because two children sitting in his lap were interfering with the movement of the control stick.
The investigation
A report from the county sheriff provided mechanical details regarding the failure. Investigators found that the retaining nut and cotter pin were missing from the left main wheel axle. Additionally, there was no cotter pin present to secure the retaining nut on the right main wheel axle.
The aircraft had recently undergone a major rebuild and an annual inspection approximately five months prior to the accident, totaling 12 flight hours since that maintenance event. While the pilot performed a preflight inspection on the day of the accident, he noted that he did not specifically check the cotter pins, although they are visible when properly installed.