The pilot of the Champion7GCAA was practicing touch and goes on a frozen lake in Oshkosh, Wis.
On the last landing he intended to do a full stop landing. The top of the lake was covered with snow that had been plowed.
After a smooth landing, and while taxiing to park, the left wheel strut collapsed. The plane tipped over onto its left side, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing spar.
Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed evidence of fatigue cracking on the failed portion of the left wheel strut mount. The airplane had been flown about 50-75 hours after its last annual inspection with no problems noted by the owner.
The NTSB determined the probable cause was fatigue cracking and failure of the left wheel strut mount resulting in collapse of the left main landing gear during taxi.
NTSB Identification: CEN13CA187
This February 2013 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.
