New Braunfels, TX, USA
N32CX
Maule M5
The private pilot was returning to the airport in the tail-wheeled airplane. He reported that he executed a normal approach to runway 17 for a full- stop landing. He stated that the wind at the time of the landing was reported as 250 degrees at 8 knots. During the landing roll, the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway. stated that he made a "slight correction with right rudder," but the airplane's right wing "continued down and the aircraft [began] to turn hard right." He attempted to regain directional control by adding power, but the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing and the propeller contacted the ground. The airplane ground looped which, resulted in structural damage to the right wing. Examination of the landing gear by an aircraft mechanic revealed that the right landing gear strut attachment point was corroded and cracked.
The 512-hour private pilot had just completed a practice flight consisting of slow flight, stalls, and steep turns, and was returning to the airport in the tail-wheeled airplane. The pilot reported that he executed a normal approach to runway 17, (a dry asphalt 5,354-foot long by 100-foot wide runway), which consisted of a 65-mph approach with the flaps extended to the 20-degrees position for a planned full- stop landing. Additionally, the pilot reported that the wind at the time of the landing was being reported from 250 degrees at 8 knots. During the landing roll, the airplane drifted to the left side of the runway. The pilot stated that he made a "slight correction with right rudder," but the airplane's right wing "continued down and the aircraft [began] to turn hard right." The pilot attempted to regain directional control by adding power; however, the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing and the propeller contacted the ground. The airplane ground looped which resulted in structural damage to the right wing. The pilot, who was uninjured, reported that he had accumulated a total of 4-hours in this make and model. Examination of the landing gear by an aircraft mechanic revealed that the right landing gear strut attachment point was corroded and cracked. A search of the SDR database, failed to return another report of a failed attachment point.
The failure of the right main landing gear attachment during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop. A contributing factor was a crosswind.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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