Accident Summary
On October 17, 2015, at about 1115 eastern daylight time, a Cessna R182, registration N381MB, was substantially damaged during a touch-and-go landing at Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) in Sanford, Florida. The private pilot and a flight instructor were not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight in day visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan was filed.
Aircraft and Flight
The airplane was privately owned and had been rented for an extended period since its most recent 100-hour inspection. The local flight originated at SFB about 1100. The flight instructor reported that he was scheduled with his private pilot-rated student for one hour of practice landings. The pre-flight inspection revealed no anomalies.
After an uneventful short field takeoff and landing, the pilot set up for a short field touch-and-go landing. The approach was normal with the landing gear indicated down and locked. Following a normal touchdown, the pilot configured the airplane for takeoff. Just prior to applying full power, the instructor noted a "shudder" and "nose wheel shimmy," after which the nose gear collapsed. The propeller struck the paved runway surface, and the airplane came to a stop. The pilots secured the engine and other systems, then exited the airplane and waited for emergency personnel.
Examination
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors examined the wreckage and found structural damage to the fuselage adjacent to the nose gear attachment point. The nose gear actuator was in the down and locked position and remained connected to the nose gear drag attachment fitting, part number 2243009-1. The fitting itself was not accessible for further examination during the on-site inspection. The operator reported no knowledge of any recent damage to the airplane.
Subsequently, the purchaser of the wreckage removed the nose gear drag attachment fitting and photographed it at the request of the NTSB investigator-in-charge. The photographs were provided to Textron Aviation for examination. According to the aircraft manufacturer's representative, the rivets attaching the drag attachment fitting to the airframe appeared sheared from overload, with shear loads in the forward direction relative to the airplane. This damage pattern was consistent with an abrupt forward force.