Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15; Flight Crew Total 6230; Flight Crew Type 4
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
General None Reported / Taken
Aircraft
The subject airplane was an Aeronca Model TAC65; called the Aeronca 'Defender'; a conventional-gear fabric-covered airplane. On landing number 7 of an aircraft familiarization and checkout flight with a rated Private Pilot with previous tailwheel endorsement; the left landing gear folded back and aircraft veered approx 30 degrees to the left and came to a stop about 20 FT to the left of runway centerline; on the runway (a dirt and gravel surface) with left wing low. The previous 6 landings; 5 at a different airport; and one at this one and the rest of the checkout flight; had been very good; smooth; no bounces; no indications of any problems. The pilot had handled the aircraft with precision and very smoothly; and I had decided I considered him competent and safe to fly the aircraft safely on his own. When we landed this time; where the flight had originated; and the aircraft was based; with a full-stall landing and groundspeed estimated at about 40 mph maximum; the airplane started leaning left on roll out. I saw the pilot (in front) had already full right aileron; and some right rudder; but the wing continued to lower on the left and a scraping sound was heard as the left gear was digging into the dirt. The airplane veered a bit to the left and stopped in a cloud of dust. We unstrapped; turned off the fuel and magnetos; and exited the aircraft. Then we could see the stub end of the left gear appeared broken and was outside of the oleo gear housing; and the broken gear had caused us to lean and veer to the left. There were no injuries. Damage appeared confined to the broken landing gear. A close walk-around inspection before flight had shown no anomalies. Aircraft had been recently inspected in accordance with Annual Inspection procedures. I don't know of anything we as pilots could have done to induce the gear failure; or to have any way to know the gear was about to; or had; broken.
Aeronca Instructor pilot; performing a tailwheel checkout for a private pilot; reports a landing gear failure on the seventh landing all of which had been very smooth. The aircraft is stopped on the runway with no other damage reported.