What happened
On 16 June 2001, a private flight was scheduled to proceed from Rand Airport to Vanderbijlpark. After receiving clearance to taxi to the holding point of Runway 35, the pilot of the SYCAMORE MK1, registration ZU-CCN, commenced the takeoff roll. During the initial phase of the takeoff, as the aircraft reached a speed of approximately 20 km/h, the pilot reported hearing an unusual grinding sound. Immediately following this noise, the nose wheel of the gyroplane collapsed.
Following the collapse, the pilot successfully brought the aircraft to a halt. The pilot then deactivated the engine and all electrical systems before disembarking from the aircraft. There were no injuries reported during the incident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical failure of the nose gear assembly during the takeoff run. Investigators examined the physical state of the landing gear components to determine why the structural integrity of the nose wheel assembly failed while the aircraft was accelerating.
Findings
- The investigation established that the collapse was caused by the failure of the hardware securing the nose wheel.
- It was determined that two nuts had previously sheared off, likely due to a prior hard landing or an impact with an object.
- The remaining two nuts failed during the takeoff roll, leading to the loss of structural support for the nose gear.