N88WT

On December 3, 1994, at 1030 central standard time, a Howard DGA-15P, N88WT, was substantially damaged during landing at the Las Cruces, New Mexico, International Airport. The airplane, owned and operated by the commercial pilot, was on a local area dual instructional flight. There was no flight plan filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. Neither the pilot, the instructor, nor the two passengers were injured.

According to the owner, who had recently purchased the airplane, he was "acting as pilot-in-command." He and his flight instructor were doing touch and go landings on runway 30. He stated that during the last landing he touched down at approximately "60 miles per hour (MPH)." During the landing roll, at approximately 40 MPH, the "right main landing gear began to fail." As the gear began to collapse the airplane veered right and he and the instructor could not regain control using full left rudder and differential braking. As the airplane departed the runway, it spun 720 degrees before the right main landing gear collapsed. The flight had landed on runway 30 and the winds were reported as being 110 degrees at 4 knots.

An examination of the aircraft, by a Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector, revealed that control continuity existed and the braking system operated. Inspection of the landing gear revealed evidence of pre-existing fractures in the gear structure.