Rans S7 Courier, G-OJKM, 4 May 2011
Rans S7 Courier, G-OJKM
Summary:
As the pilot neared Glenforsa Airfield, he was informed by the airfield manager of a turbulent crosswind and downdrafts at the beginning of the Runway 07. The pilot decided to make an approach to land and judge the conditions for himself. He brought the aircraft to within a few feet of the runway surface, flying right wing down into the crosswind. He encountered some turbulence but the aircraft remained fully controllable and so he maintained this attitude, hoping to touchdown once out of the turbulence. However, the aircraft suddenly dropped and the right wheel contacted the ground. The pilot maintained directional control and landed, unaware that the right mainwheel and axle had broken away from the undercarriage leg. As the aircraft came to a stop it turned about its right undercarriage leg and tipped forwards causing the propeller to strike the ground and part of one of the blades detached. On inspection of the detached wheel and axle assembly, the pilot found what looked like a pre-existing crack at the fractured end of the attachment tube. He considered that although the landing was firm, it was not heavy enough to have broken the tube without an existing weakness. In a full and honest statement the pilot advised that he had inadvertently allowed his medical and the aircraft’s permit to fly to lapse.
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