Gear Collapse Puts Nemesis NXT Out Of Running At Reno

An unfortunate incident earlier this week prior to the start of the 41st National Championship Air Races and Air Show at Stead Airport in Reno, Nevada, thwarted the highly anticipated appearance of the Nemesis NXT. Owners Jon and Patricia Sharp had planned to debut their new homebuilt airplane in the Sport Class. The original Nemesis, which dominated Formula 1 racing for many years winning 47 of 51 starts, now hangs in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. That plane made its final flight at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2000.

The Nemesis NXT is the kit version of that airplane, powered by a Lycoming TI0-540-NXT, rumored to be capable of speeds exceeding the Unlimiteds.

So what happened?

"We had a purchased part that failed in the landing gear system," Jon Sharp told e-hotline on Thursday. "I won't go into what (part) it was or where it came from, but the part was subjected to a condition that it was not supposed to be in; we are analyzing that right now."

Sharp, who didn't receive a scratch in the incident, explained what happened shortly after touching down at Stead.

"Not too long after I touched down, I was just raising the tail and heard a very loud bang from the left side. Then the left wing just started heading toward the ground, but I was able to pick up the wing and carry it for a little while until it wouldn't hold anymore. The left wing went down and the airplane started heading off the runway. Then the right wheel failed in the same manner the left wheel did and I went skidding off the pavement sideways about 150 feet into the dirt."

Sharp estimated he was traveling about 80-85 mph when the bang sounded.

Damage consisted of a pretty badly scraped left wingtip, a scraped belly right at the firewall, and a flat spot on the tail wheel where it skidded from going sideways.

Sharp said the 72-inch prop feathered down to about 40 inches. "It curled the propeller like a rolled-up piece of paper-like someone took a screwdriver around the tip blade and wound it up," he said. Lycoming, a major Team Nemesis sponsor, has already swapped out the engine for the test engine, and crewmembers are focused on making the airplane run and fly again. The race engine is already on its way back to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to be taken apart and looked at. "We'll probably have it back in a month," Sharp said.

"All things considered we're in pretty darn good shape and very thankful," Sharp emphasized. "It's a very stout airplane. After people saw what it went through, and then came down and looked at it in the hangar, they're just amazed at how it went through all that and is still flyable home.

"We're proud of the program and the project," he continued. "We didn't have any design flaw issue or anything; it was just the malfunction of a procured part."

Sharp was especially grateful to the EAA members who offered their assistance. "There's a bunch of EAA people down here from the local Chapter wanting to help and do anything they can," he said. "It really exhibits the spirit of EAA; everyone jumps in to do the job. We're so thankful to be members of EAA. EAA's just awesome. We love it!"

The 41st National Championship Air Races and Air Show officially gets under way today through Sunday, September 19 at Stead Airport in Reno, Nevada. Six classes of airplanes-Unlimited, Sport, T-6, Formula One, Biplane, and Jet-are set to round the pylons at speeds in excess of 350 mph.

Other events on the grounds include a world class air show with Sean D. Tucker, Julie Clark, Kent Pietsch, Scott Hammack, Greg Poe, Mike Goulian, and the Red Bull Air Racing World Series event. Also participating in this year's air show are the U.S. Navy "Legacy Flight" and the U.S. Air Force "Heritage Flight," each of which teams modern front-line military aircraft with some of the greatest fighters in history.

FMI: www.airrace.org