Bellanca 8KCAB incident near Homer, Alaska, July 29, 2012
On July 29, 2012 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N5026B, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Homer, Alaska (Homer Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the left main landing gear leg due to fatigue. Contributing to the incident was maintenance personnel's failure to completely remove all corrosion before repainting the gear leg.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 2012 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Homer, Alaska · Homer Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N5026B · registry record · serial 442-78
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane on a dry paved runway. He stated that just after touchdown, he heard a noise and felt the airplane pull to the left. He tried to abort the landing, but noted that the left main landing gear had separated from the fuselage, so he landed the airplane in the grassy area adjacent to the runway. During the landing the airplane sustained minor damage. The spring steel left main landing gear assembly was fractured about 5 inches from the fuselage attach point. Postaccident metallurgical examination revealed that the landing gear leg fractured due to fatigue that initiated from pits on the lower surface of the leg. The pits were filled with brown paint that was covered with white paint. Therefore, it is likely that the pits were formed by corrosion that was not completely removed before the gear leg was repainted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Repair › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,314 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2012
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Anchorage AK
- Destination: Homer AK
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 21, 6,701 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PAHO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 18, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory 15 - Factual Report 12-148 (10 Embedded Images) | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.