WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ, USA
N521S
Mihlebach WACO
At the end of a local VFR flight, the pilot flared the homebuilt airplane to land, and it touched down hard. The left axle bracket separated, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The pilot was the builder of the airplane.
On September 2, 2000, about 1145 Eastern Daylight Time, a homebuilt Waco, N521S, was substantially damaged during landing at Southern Cross Airport, Williamstown, New Jersey. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal local flight conducted 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, he entered a "standard pattern" for Runway 27, and that the downwind, base, and final portions of the traffic pattern were "normal." When the pilot flared the airplane, it bounced, and then nosed over. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot flared to land on the runway, and the airplane touched down hard. The left axle bracket weld separated, and the airplane came to rest inverted. The pilot was the manufacturer of the airplane, and had welded the separated component.
The pilot's failure to execute an adequate flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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