The pilot reported that while decelerating during the landing roll on a grass runway near Sunrise Beach Village, Texas, the Tango 2’s nose gear began to skid.
The nose gear hit an ant hill, which resulted in a nose over and substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage.
After the accident, he reported that the tolerance between the nose wheel tire and fairing was estimated to be 1/4″.
There was debris build-up in the back of the nose gear fairing. During a post-accident check, the nose gear was not able to rotate as freely as the main landing gears.
Probable cause: The nosewheel fairing becoming packed with debris during landing on the soft field due to a gap between the nosewheel tire and the fairing, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent nose-over.
NTSB Identification: GAA16CA299
This June 2016 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
They must have sent hills in texas??