Waco UPF 7 accident near Brunswick, Georgia, July 3, 2017
On July 3, 2017 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1940 Waco UPF 7, registered N134Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Brunswick, Georgia (Mckinnon St Simons Island airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the right main landing gear strut brace for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2017 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Brunswick, Georgia · Mckinnon St Simons Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Waco UPF 7 NO SERIES, built 1940 · all UPF 7s on the register
- Registration
- N134Q · registry record · serial 5484
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, while taxiing for takeoff, the right main landing gear (MLG) strut brace broke at the fuselage attachment point, which resulted in the right MLG collapsing and the outboard portion of the lower right wing sustaining substantial damage. The pilot moved the airplane from the taxiway, repaired the strut brace by welding it back onto the fuselage where it had broken, and then towed the airplane to his hangar. The pilot's welding of the strut brace back onto the fuselage at the point where it had broken precluded an examination of the fracture surfaces. The reason for the strut's failure could not be determined based on the available evidence.
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
- Landing gear collapse during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Gear attach fittings (on fus) › Failure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 10,100 in this make and model; 136 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 18,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 28, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,095 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor W670 SERIES (piston); 2,393 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SSI Brunswick GA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: SSI Brunswick GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from SSI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N134Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.