NC247E

On November 4, 2012, at 1700 central standard time, a WACO SRE, NC247E, nosed over following a loss of control during landing roll at the Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT), Lafayette, Louisiana. The pilot and two passengers on board were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot. The local personal flight was being conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from LFT at 1630.

The pilot reported he made an uneventful landing and during the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right. He applied left rudder and little power in an attempt to straighten the airplane heading with no response. The airplane then nosed over.

A postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the right main landing gear collapsed, the vertical stabilizer was crushed, and the right lower wing was substantially damaged as was the fuselage. An inspection of the brakes and tires did not reveal any anomalies that would have resulted in the loss of directional control. The right gear brace strut was bent and cracked. The strut remained secured at its gear and fuselage attach points.

The right main landing gear brace strut was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board’s materials laboratory for examination. The examination revealed that the crack faces and bending patterns were consistent with overstress.