Accident Details
On March 17, 2010, at approximately 1530 Alaska daylight time, a ski-equipped Cessna 170B airplane (registration N3492C) experienced a landing gear failure while taxiing for takeoff at Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage, Alaska. The aircraft was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal local flight under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airline transport pilot and the sole passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed.
Pilot Account
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on March 18, the pilot reported that while taxiing on Lake Hood, the right main landing gear leg broke near the point where the leg exits the fuselage. After the leg fractured, the right wing contacted the ground, resulting in the wing bending from the aileron outward toward the wingtip. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Examination of the Gear Leg
On March 25, the pilot presented the broken gear leg to the NTSB IIC and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air safety inspector. The fracture appeared as a single linear break perpendicular to the leading edge of the gear leg. The break was located approximately 6 inches from the gear leg mounting bolt hole, at the widest portion of the gear leg. No other damage was observed on the component. The gear leg was retained by the FAA inspector for metallurgical examination.