Bucker Jungmann CASA 1.31 accident near Rupert, Georgia, February 24, 2013
On February 24, 2013 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Bucker Jungmann CASA 1.31, registered N558J, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Rupert, Georgia (Private airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fracture of the left main landing gear axle, which resulted in a loss of control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2013 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Rupert, Georgia · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bucker Jungmann CASA 1.31
- Registration
- N558J · registry record · serial E3B-558
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll on a turf runway, the airplane's left main landing gear axle fractured, and the left landing gear wheel assembly departed the airframe. The airplane veered to the left, and the remaining portion of the left landing gear collapsed. The propeller and the lower left and right wings contacted the runway and were substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a crack had propagated through a manufacturer-welded area near the wheel assembly. The airplane was manufactured in 1961. It had been operated for about 760 total hours since new and 7 hours since its most recent condition inspection, which was performed about 11 months before the accident. A search of the Federal Aviation Administration service difficulty report database for the accident airplane make and model did not reveal any previous similar landing gear failures.
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 (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 520 hours in all; 305 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 5, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 762 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 11, 2012; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Rupert GA
- Destination: NONE Rupert GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 154°F (68°C), dew point 86°F (30°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from MCN, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on March 15, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Postaccident Manufacturer/defect Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photograph # 1 – Left Side of Airplane After Recovery | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photograph # 2 – Damage to Lower Right Wing | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N558J on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bucker Jungmann 24 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D 65 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,801 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13CA149.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.