Cessna 182A N20DE accident near New Philadelphia, Ohio

Probable cause

The inadequate maintenance of the wheel attachment bolts, which resulted in the left wheel separating from the landing gear during landing due to ductile overstress fractures.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that the landing was normal, but, during the landing roll as the airplane was turning onto the taxiway, the left wheel separated from the landing gear. The left wing sustained substantial damage when it struck the ground. The examination of the airplane revealed that the four bolts that attached the wheel to the landing gear were broken. The metallurgical examination of the four bolts revealed that the fractures were consistent with ductile overstress. The pilot reported that the airplane was converted to a tailwheel airplane per a supplemental type certificate, that it was equipped with tundra tires, and that it was routinely landed on sandbars, strip mines, and fields. The pilot reported that installing new bolts could have prevented the accident from occurring.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN12LA218 for the full record.