N56447

On June 6, 1994, at approximately 1400 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Maule M6-235 airplane, N56447, registered to and operated by the Pilot, ground looped while trying to land at the Bethel airport, Bethel, Alaska. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Manokotak, Alaska, and the destination was Bethel. The commercial certificated pilot and the one passenger were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

According to information provided by the Pilot's attorney, the pilot landed the airplane on runway 36 at Bethel and during the landing roll the right main wheel began to "drag." The airplane then veered to the right. The Pilot was not able to control the turn and the airplane ground looped. According to the attorney, the pilot examined the airplane on the site and stated that the right main gear wheel axle failed which caused the airplane to veer to the right.

The gear leg and axle were submitted for examination. The parts were examined by two Safety Board Investigators. The axle was still attached to the main gear leg and was bent upward at a 10 to 12 degree angle. The fracture on the axle occurred directly inside a ring which was spot welded to the axle in six locations along the circumference. This ring is the mounting plate for the brake caliper. The axle was removed from the gear leg by continuous bending until failure and the surfaces were examined with a 10x glass. The general landscape of the fracture surface was typical of overload failure depicted by the 45 degree angles along the fracture's surfaces. Most of the surface area was discolored and had a light orange rust appearance. The rust did not scale off the surface. One portion of the fracture surface was bright in appearance and measured approximately 3/16 of an inch along the axle's circumference. This was the area of the axle that had remained attached to the main gear leg and was failed by the investigators. There were no visible fatigue striations on the discolored fracture surfaces.

According to Brian Cox, mechanic for Flight Safety Alaska, they accomplished an annual inspection on the airplane. He stated that during the initial taxi he noticed that the right brake was spongy. He also noticed that the airplane was equipped with GAR AERO wheels. This wheel had the tire bead bolted to the wheel rim to keep the wheel from turning on the rim. He stated that both main gear wheel bearings were serviced and turned freely. The right brake was serviced by adding fluid and bleeding the brake. The left brake was not serviced. Mr. Cox stated that the taxi after the annual was normal and the brakes felt normal. He stated the Pilot flew the airplane around the traffic pattern after the annual inspection.

Examination of the airplane after the accident, by Bethel Aircraft, Bethel, Alaska, showed that the right main gear brake assembly was properly installed and was not "dragging." The right wheel rotated freely but due to the upward bent axle the bolt heads that held the tire bead to the rim would strike the gear leg.

According to a polaroid photograph submitted by the Pilot's attorney, the right main gear is aligned with a curved skid mark which starts in the center of the photograph and curves to the right and ends at the right main tire.