NTSB Factual Report

On June 15, 2002, at 1530 central daylight time, an amateur built CA65 Sky Fly, N145JB, was substantially damaged when the landing gear collapsed during a takeoff roll on runway 31 (2,800 feet by 60 feet dry, asphalt) at the Skyhaven Airport, Warrensburg, Missouri. The pilot was not injured and the passenger received serious injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The flight was destined for the Gimlin Airport, Ozark, Missouri.

The pilot reported "Gear collapsed on takeoff roll after veering to the left. I throttled it back when it started going left."

A witness to the accident reported that the airplane accelerated on runway 31 for takeoff. It then started to veer off the runway to the left. The witness reported that the power came off and the brakes were applied. He reported that the right main gear collapsed as the airplane went off of the runway. The witness reported the propeller then hit the ground and the airplane turned approximately 30 degrees to the right before coming to a stop.

The winds reported at Whiteman Air Force Base, located 15 miles southeast of the accident site, at 1555 were from 250 degrees at 10 knots. The pilot reported the local winds were from 270 degrees at 5 knots at the time of the accident.

The airplane was originally built as a retractable gear airplane. An entry in the airplane logbook dated October 10, 2000 reads, "Landing gear safetied in the down position."

The owner of the airplane submitted the landing gear retracting lever to the National Transportation Safety Board for inspection. Inspection of the fracture surfaces under 10x magnification revealed a fracture indicative of overload.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the takeoff roll. A factor associated with the accident was the overload failure of the right main landing gear.