N7169K – DONALD BERNARD HIGGS PIETENPOL – 2019-07-07 NTSB Accident Report

On July 07, 2019, a Donald Bernard Higgs PIETENPOL (N7169K) was involved in an incident near Anacortes, WA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The failure of the left main landing gear attachment point during the landing roll for reasons that could not be determined because the attachment was not examined, which resulted in a loss of directional control, collision with a drainage culvert, and a subsequent nose-over.

The pilot in the experimental amateur-built, tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, this was the first test flight after the airplane had been reassembled following purchase and transport. The pilot performed two high-speed taxi runs, he back taxied and subsequently took off.

During the landing roll, "the left front landing gear attachment lugs broke off the mount fitting." The pilot lost directional control of the airplane and ground-looped to the right. The airplane entered a ditch and nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing aft lift strut.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA396. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7169K.