What happened
On February 16, 2000, a Pitts S-2A aircraft, registration EC-CZV, was performing a local flight from the Casarrubios del Monte aerodrome. During the takeoff roll on runway 08, the pilot noticed anomalies that were attributed to the tailwheel. Despite these observations, the pilot continued the flight, which lasted approximately thirty minutes.
Upon returning to land, the pilot noted that the aircraft's tail was striking the ground during the initial touchdown. To mitigate this, the pilot executed a two-point landing, which was initially successful. However, during the subsequent landing roll, the left main landing gear strut entered a small hole present on the runway surface. This impact caused the aircraft to enter a ground loop. During the maneuver, the left main gear collapsed inward, striking the right gear leg. Additionally, the left wing sustained damage after making contact with the ground due to the gear failure.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the aircraft and the runway conditions. Post-accident examination of the Pitts S-2A revealed that the tailwheel had detached from the aircraft. The tailwheel is secured to a spring assembly via a single bolt. While the investigation confirmed that the failure of this bolt led to the detachment of the wheel, the specific cause of the bolt's failure—whether it had sheared or if the nut had loosened—could not be determined because the bolt fragments were not recovered from the site.
Findings
- The primary cause of the landing gear collapse was the left main gear striking a hole in the runway.
- The aircraft's tailwheel had detached during the initial takeoff roll due to the failure of a single securing bolt.
- The pilot was uninjured in the accident.