What happened
On February 28, 2025, at approximately 1058 Hawaii-Aleutian standard time, a Gippsland GA-8, registration N699AV, was involved in an accident near Lihue, Hawaii. The aircraft was operating as a Part 91 air tour flight. The pilot performed a normal approach using full flaps and landed on runway 21 at Lihue Airport. While taxiing toward the parking area, the pilot executed a slow right turn off the runway. As the aircraft was straightened onto the taxiway, the right landing gear leg collapsed, causing substantial damage to the fuselage and the right wing.
There were 5 occupants on board, including the pilot and four passengers. All individuals were not injured, though one passenger sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed that the right main landing gear leg fractured at the upper end of the bend near the fuselage attachment point, causing the gear to separate from the airplane. The left gear leg was found to have a crack in the same location as the failed right leg. The aircraft's main landing gear had accumulated 13,299.2 flight hours. According to the service manual, the landing gear requires visual inspections every 100 hours or during annual maintenance.
Analysis by the NTSB Materials Laboratory determined the right main landing gear leg fractured near the middle of the bend. While the outboard side of the fracture showed damage from terrain contact, the inboard side remained relatively undamaged. Investigators identified a flat area with dark features and a curving boundary consistent with fatigue. Radial marks in this region originated from a corrosion pit on the lower surface. Additionally, oxides, corrosion pits, and bubbled paint were observed, indicating underlying corrosion damage. The remainder of the fracture exhibited features consistent with an overstress fracture in the steel tubular section.