NTSB Factual Report

On March 25, 2018, about 1730 Alaska daylight time, a Champion 7GC airplane, N4844E, sustained substantial damage following a landing gear separation during landing at Merrill Field Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The pilot in the front seat and the pilot-rated passenger in the rear seat sustained no injury. The airplane was registered to a private individual and was operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions were present at the time of the accident and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane departed from Merrill Field Airport, about 1300.

The pilot reported that after completing a local area flight and upon landing to the dry asphalt of runway 25, the tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down, and ground looped to the left. During the landing sequence, the right main landing gear assembly separated, and the right wing impacted the runway. The pilot and passenger were able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The pilot further reported that during the landing sequence, the wind condition was 6 knots from 340 degrees.

The right wing and right aileron sustained substantial damage. The right main landing gear strut fractured at a junction where a jam nut is placed below a brazed joint. The fractured landing gear strut portion, along with the jam nut and brazed joint, was submitted to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, for further examination.