What happened
On the evening of September 28, 1997, a Pottier P 180 S amateur-built aircraft, registered F-PARK, was performing a local flight at Clermont-Ferrand. During the landing phase, the pilot experienced intense vibrations while the aircraft was taxiing on the runway. Shortly after, the nose gear collapsed, causing the aircraft to come to a complete stop. There were no injuries to the pilot during the event.
The investigation
Investigators examined the nose gear assembly to determine the cause of the sudden collapse. The inspection focused on the landing gear strut, specifically the area where the shock absorber is mounted inside the strut sleeve. The investigation established that the internal spacers within the strut sleeve are brazed to the structure.
Findings
Technical analysis revealed that the failure originated at the upper attachment point of the shock absorber. The investigation identified fatigue cracks within the brazed joints of the internal spacers. These weakened brazed connections eventually failed, leading to the structural rupture of the gear strut during the landing roll.