Probable cause
The failure of the right main landing gear strut brace for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
NTSB analysis
The commercial pilot reported that, while taxiing for takeoff, the right main landing gear (MLG) strut brace broke at the fuselage attachment point, which resulted in the right MLG collapsing and the outboard portion of the lower right wing sustaining substantial damage. The pilot moved the airplane from the taxiway, repaired the strut brace by welding it back onto the fuselage where it had broken, and then towed the airplane to his hangar.
The pilot's welding of the strut brace back onto the fuselage at the point where it had broken precluded an examination of the fracture surfaces. The reason for the strut's failure could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA17LA253 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jul 3, 2017
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Brunswick, Georgia
- Nearest airport
- Mckinnon St Simons Island (SSI)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Waco UPF 7
- N-number
- N134Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1940
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.