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Re: Nose gear maintenance
Skot,
I don't know if it relates to your observation - might check Kitfox's service bulletins
http://www.kitfoxaircraft.com/FAQ-Tech.htm SB 55 & 58 apply to certain aircraft
55 is about an earlier model front nose gear strut where cracks showed up in some cases on the gear leg sides - In this case, what might happen is the front half of the nose gear leg breaking off in a hard - nosewheel first landing:eek:......but that doesn't sound like the type of damage you have observed.
58 reflects observed builder error and applies to nose gear planes where some builders did not correctly modify the bearing area in the nose gear shock absorbing unit. This would result in binding and possibly breaking who-knows-what..
I am trying to visualize the damage you are speaking of; and, what comes to mind is if the upper top bolt on the elastomere donut stack may have broken or become unscrewed - that could possibly result in the top of the assembly tipping backwards on the rod end and punching into the firewall as the nosegear is no longer attached to the lower end of the engine mount. Please see the attached photo - a little grainy because I cropped it - but take a look at the geometry.
This is a bit of speculation on my part, but I have thought about the possible failure points of the nosegear.
FWIW - the bolt on top of the elastomere stack is an annual condition inspection item. If it fell out in the air - the result would be tha gear leg rotating down and the pointy end punching into the fabric from the bottom. On the ground, it would work the other way with weight on the nose ( and probably a whole lot less damage).
If you have a chance to get a photo - that might help people on the list with helping out.
Sincerely,
Dave S
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Re: Nose gear maintenance
Dave & All,
Attached is a view from the inside of the punched hole in the firewall.
Skot
Re: Nose gear maintenance
Skot,
Wow.....can't think of anything involving the nose gear, considering that there is no other damage, that would make a rip like that. Whatever the cause, might not end up as a "common or usual" deal:confused:. Kind of looks like something that might not have involved the nose gear directly...maybe the fulelage slipping off a jackstand?????
Dave S
Re: Nose gear maintenance
Dave
I agree
I would have thought if the damage was done in operation there would have been far more damage to the surrounding structure. Looks like damage was most likley done during build or maintenance and like you say by something like a jack stand. I think I would have cleaned up the damage though!! The SS in this area is thin and doesn't take much to damage.
Re: Nose gear maintenance
I had an inflight propeller failure last May which led me to a forced landing in a marsh grass field. All went well until near the end of my landing roll. The nose gear tube bent down and back, finally breaking off right before the attachment point of the rubber padded strut. There was no damage to any other part of the nose wheel assembly or the airplane which I thought was pretty good. These Kitfox's really fly well in dead stick situations!