Herzog Aviation CCX-2000 accident near Bend, Oregon, July 31, 2018
On July 31, 2018 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 2018 Herzog Aviation CCX-2000, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N116PM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Bend, Oregon (Bend Muni 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion and the subsequent collapse of the left main landing gear when he attempted to steer the airplane back onto the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2018 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Bend Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Herzog Aviation CCX-2000, built 2018, amateur-built
- Registration
- N116PM · registry record · serial CCX-2000-0025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped, experimental, amateur-built airplane reported that, during the landing roll at his home airport, the left main landing gear (MLG) wheel exited the asphalt runway and entered gravel that bordered the runway. The pilot applied right rudder to steer the airplane back onto the runway, but at the point where the left MLG tire contacted the asphalt runway, the left MLG collapsed. The left wing struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar and aileron. The pilot reported that the left MLG shock absorber shaft had sheared off at the lock nut attached to the rod end, which he believed resulted in the left MLG collapsing. However, photographs provided by Federal Aviation Administration air safety inspectors revealed that the left MLG failed inward and underneath the fuselage of the airplane. Additionally, the photographs revealed ground scars on the asphalt runway from the left wing that could be traced from the runway centerline, about 90° back to that of the runway heading. Further, photographs revealed that the airplane was equipped with tundra tires, which would have put a lot of stress on the landing gear. The evidence indicates that the left MLG collapsed when the pilot attempted to steer the airplane back onto the runway. The METAR at the airport reported that the wind about the time of the accident was variable at 3 knots, gusting to 12 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 16.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,044 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 2,044 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 27, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 44.6 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, July 3, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cub Crafter CC363i (piston); 45 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BDN Bend OR at 7:21 pm
- Destination: BDN Bend OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from KBDN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N116PM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 GAA18CA459.