Flight Design Gmbh CTLS N930SA accident near Conway, Arkansas

Probable cause

The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and overstress failure of the right main landing gear.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that after completing an uneventful straight-in approach, the right main landing gear collapsed upon touchdown. The airplane subsequently swerved to the right, departing off the right side of the runway. A laboratory examination revealed a longitudinal crack along the leading edge of the right landing gear leg and a transverse fracture near the point where the leg intersected the fuselage. Observed fiber pullout and parallel transverse cracks in the paint adjacent to the fracture were consistent with a bending load, with the lower surface in tension and the upper surface in compression. No preexisting damage or manufacturing anomalies were noted with the right main landing gear that would have reduced its design strength. The lack of any observed material defects or preexisting damage suggests that the right main landing gear fractured when it experienced a bending load that exceeded its design requirements, likely during the accident sequence.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN12LA476 for the full record.