What happened
On June 4, 2003, a Jabiru J 400, registration ZU-CMZ, was involved in a ground incident at Wonderboom Airport. The aircraft, operated under a private pilot license, had just completed two high-speed taxi trials on runway 06/24. As the pilot vacated the runway and turned onto the taxiway, the right-hand main undercarriage leg suddenly collapsed. There were no injuries to the occupants, and the aircraft sustained no additional damage beyond the structural failure of the landing gear.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and the circumstances surrounding the taxi trials. The aircraft was relatively new, having accumulated only 202 hours of total flight time since its manufacture, and had undergone its most recent annual inspection on May 2, 2003. The investigation focused on the physical state of the landing gear components and the thermal conditions present during the high-speed maneuvers.
Findings
Technical analysis determined that the failure was caused by extreme heat generation within the braking system. Specifically, the right-hand main wheel brake disc had been subjected to intense heating during the preceding high-speed taxi trials. This thermal energy transferred to the main undercarriage leg, which is constructed from fiberglass. The heat was sufficient to melt the fiberglass structure, leading to the structural collapse of the leg as the aircraft transitioned to the taxiway.