Analysis of the Damaged Aircraft Component after Impact Caused by Harsh Landing

Abstract

This paper presents a year-long research after the aviation accident, which happened in the Czech Armed Forces. During this accident, the helicopter Mi-171 was severely damaged. This paper contains an analysis of the material and geometric properties of the part of the helicopter’s Mi-171 main gear, which failed during landing. The main gear contains a horizontal front strut, which is mounted to the fuselage via a coupling element in form of a cardan joint. The failure of this joint was ultimately responsible for the accident. This paper compares the qualitative properties of the joint manufactured by the Czech manufacturer and a former Soviet Union one.