Accident
On September 3, 2011, about 1140 Pacific daylight time, a Stinson V77, registration N9112H, sustained substantial damage during taxi for takeoff at Tillamook Airport (TMK), Tillamook, Oregon. The airline transport pilot and two passengers were not injured. The aircraft was operated by Tillamook Air Tours under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a local sightseeing flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan was on file.
Pilot Statement
The pilot reported that he was taxiing on runway 19 with the intention of turning around to take off on runway 01. The wind was a left quartering tailwind, and the first 800 to 1,000 feet of taxi were uneventful. Suddenly, the airplane rotated over 90 degrees to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane dropped onto its right wing and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot believed the loss of control was due to a strong gust of wind.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane after the accident. The right wing and horizontal stabilizer were bent, and the fuselage was wrinkled and bent on the left aft lower side and on the right side where the main landing gear joined the fuselage. The right main landing gear pivot bushing, made of steel tubing, had cracked longitudinally and split in half, allowing the landing gear leg to separate from the airplane. Some areas of corrosion were present on the bushing.
Metallurgical Analysis
Pieces of the fractured pivot bushing were examined at the National Transportation Safety Board's Materials Laboratory. The fracture features were consistent with overstress fracture. No evidence of preexisting fatigue cracking was found.
Weather
At 1135, the reported wind at TMK was from 050 degrees at 13 knots. At 1155, the reported wind was from 050 degrees at 13 knots with gusts to 18 knots.