N131RV

Substantial
Minor

Portman RV-7AS/N: 70327

Accident Details

Date
Friday, December 21, 2007
NTSB Number
DFW08CA048
Location
ELmendorf, TX
Event ID
20080204X00134
Coordinates
29.268333, -98.334999
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
1
Uninjured
0
Total Aboard
1

Probable Cause and Findings

The failure of the nose landing gear. A contributing factor was the mound/uneven runway surface.

Aircraft Information

Registration
Make
PORTMAN
Serial Number
70327
Engine Type
Reciprocating
Year Built
2007
Model / ICAO
RV-7ARV7
Aircraft Type
Fixed Wing Single Engine
No. of Engines
1
Seats
2
FAA Model
PORTMAN RV-7A

Registered Owner (Current)

Name
PORTMAN JOSEPH LOUIS III
Address
5595 LABUS RD LOT 2
City
ELMENDORF
State / Zip Code
TX 78112-9634
Country
United States

Analysis

The private pilot landed his single-engine tricycle gear homebuilt airplane at a private 2,600-foot long by 200-foot wide grass airstrip. The pilot reported, on approach the airplane had about a 25-degrees of flap setting; he then "slowed [the airplane] to 80 knots on final [and crossed] over the fence at 70-75 knots." The pilot added, he made a normal landing and held the aircraft's nose wheel off the surface of the runway, until the airspeed bled off. About halfway down the runway, he stated that the airplane's nose suddenly lifted to about a 25-30 degree angle and when the nose came back down, he felt a "shutter". After the nose wheel came in contact with the runway surface, the aircraft tipped forward and while at a very slow speed, flipped over. The aircraft came to rest in the inverted position. The pilot inspected the runway and reported that about 66-feet from the aircraft, it appeared the nose wheel contacted the side of a "gopher mound" which caused the aircraft's nose to elevate. About 36-feet from the mound, and about 6-feet from where the nose wheel contacted the surface, the nose wheel track showed signs of widening. The wheel track got progressively wider and deeper until the point where the aircraft overturns. The aircraft had not been modified with the kit manufacturer's service bulletin, which increased the nose fork axle-to-ground clearance; the pilot added that he didn't think the added clearance would have helped prevent the accident.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DFW08CA048