What happened
On April 7, 2019, at approximately 12:14, a KR-30 Topaz ultralight aircraft was performing a landing on the 11R asphalt runway at Kros/Krosno (EPKR) airport. Following a successful touchdown, the aircraft's nose gear strut experienced self-excited oscillations, known as shimmy. This instability caused the pilot to lose directional control during the landing roll. As the aircraft veered to the right, it exited the runway onto the adjacent grass area at a speed of approximately 20 km/h. During the excursion, the nose wheel and landing gear strut were broken off the airframe. Because the engine remained operational, the propeller blades struck the ground and were damaged.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events during the landing roll and the mechanical behavior of the landing gear. The inquiry established that the aircraft sustained light damage, and the pilot was not injured during the incident.