What happened
On 12 July 2008, a Steen Skybolt, registration G-BWPJ, was involved in an accident at Croft Farm Airfield, Defford, Worcestershire. The aircraft, which was being operated for private purposes, had recently completed its landing on Runway 27. While taxiing at approximately 8 mph, the main landing gear suddenly collapsed. This caused the aircraft to come to an abrupt halt as the propeller made contact with the ground. There were no injuries to the pilot during the incident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the structural integrity of the landing gear assembly. The aircraft had been operated from the grass strip at Croft Farm for 12 years. Examination of the wreckage revealed damage to the left leading edge and the tip of the lower mainplane, as well as damage to the left landing gear structure. The investigation established that the bungee truss, which is designed to support the landing gear and absorb transient loads during landing, had become slack. This slackness was the result of a structural failure within the truss itself.
Findings
- The primary cause of the gear collapse was the structural failure of the bungee truss.
- The failure was attributed to the development of a hairline crack within the truss.
- The crack likely formed over a long period of time due to the aircraft's history of operating from a grass airfield.