Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT accident near Stuart, Florida, August 15, 2018
On August 15, 2018 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 2010 Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT, registered N425AZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Stuart, Florida (Witham Field). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate maintenance inspection of the airplane's nose landing gear, which resulted in a nose landing gear collapse during landing due to cracking and corrosion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2018 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Stuart, Florida · Witham Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Czech Sport Aircraft As PIPER SPORT, built 2010 · all PIPER SPORTs on the register
- Registration
- N425AZ · registry record · serial P1001082
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sport pilot was conducting a personal flight in the special light sport airplane. During landing, the airplane touched down normally on the main landing gear. After 50 ft of ground roll, the nose landing gear touched down and collapsed; one propeller blade subsequently separated, and the airplane came to rest upright on the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the nose landing gear had separated at a location that the airplane maintenance manual (AMM) and a service bulletin (SB) indicate should be inspected for cracks. The separated fracture surfaces exhibited cracking and corrosion. Review of the SB revealed that due to the development of cracks, an inspection for cracks per the AMM should occur every 25 flight hours or 50 cycles, whatever occurs first. The AMM stated to use a flashlight and 10x magnifier to visually inspect the nose landing gear leg lower section and verify that there is no evidence of cracking in paint on or around the place of the weld between the tube and the bracket. The most recent documented nose landing gear inspection was about 2 years 5 months before the accident. Thus, it is likely that the nose landing gear was not adequately inspected and cracks and corrosion were therefore undetected, which led to the nose landing gear collapse during landing.
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 landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail gear strut/axle › Inadequate inspection
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 428 hours in all; 144 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 334 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 18, 2017
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 488 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 2018; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 488 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUA Stuart FL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: SUA Stuart FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,998 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 3:47 pm from SUA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA18LA220.