N118CK – Kreps Thorp T-18-C – 2009-03-01 NTSB Accident Report

On March 01, 2009, a Kreps Thorp T-18-C (N118CK) was involved in an incident near Palm Springs, CA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: A loss of directional control due to the fatigue failure of a tubular steel gear leg along a corroded weld line.

The pilot of the tail wheel-equipped experimental airplane had just touched down for a full stop landing when the airplane started veering to the left. Although the pilot, who had about 420 flight hours in the airplane, applied rudder and brake inputs to correct the airplane's alignment, the airplane did not respond. The pilot then added power to help correct the veering, but the airplane departed the left side of the runway and impacted a runway/taxiway sign. A post-accident inspection of the tubular steel left gear leg revealed that it had partially failed along a corroded weld line, and had bent backwards from its normal position. Corrosion/rust was present on about one inch of the fracture face, and along a wider area of the interior wall of the gear leg adjacent to the fracture.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA134. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N118CK.