This April 2008 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Aircraft: Cessna 180. Injuries: None. Location: Blanding, Utah. Aircraft damage: Substantial.
What reportedly happened: The airplane touched down and began to veer to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and brake to keep the airplane on the runway. The right main landing gear leg separated from the airframe at the point where it protrudes from the fuselage. The plane slid off the runway.
An inspection of the gear leg by the NTSB Materials Laboratory determined that the metallurgical features discovered on the right main landing gear leg were consistent with separation due to a fatigue fracture that had initiated in a corrosion pit under a gear leg clamping mechanism. In addition to the fatigue region at the origin area, three smaller fatigue regions were detected within the shear lip of the fracture.
Probable cause: The fatigue failure of the right main landing gear leg during the landing roll.
For more information: NTSB.gov
