Accident Details
On August 10, 2009, at 1525 eastern daylight time, an Ayers Corporation S2R-T34, registration N2292E, sustained a collapse of the right main landing gear during the landing roll at a private airstrip in Donalsonville, Georgia. The airplane was registered to Kent Croom Aviation and was being operated as an aerial application flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 by a certificated commercial pilot. No flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight had originated from the same private airstrip at 1500.
According to the pilot, during the landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, causing the airplane to skid off the runway to the right. The pilot reported receiving minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and found that the right main landing gear had failed at the location of an improper weld repair on the main strut. The damage to the airplane included the right main landing gear and the engine firewall.
Maintenance Findings
A review of the Landing Gear Repair Manual 4-102, Page 4-73, and AC 43.13-1B indicated that the repair of the landing gear should include the use of a two-piece reinforcement sleeve made of the same material and at least the same gauge as the damaged tube. The repair that had been made on the main strut did not meet these specifications; it consisted only of a bead of weld across the crack in the strut.