19970415009469I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr RANSS10 · San Antonio, TX · April 15, 1997

Date
April 15, 1997 · 18:20 local
Place
San Antonio, TX
Airport
San Antonio International
Phase of flight
Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N52077
Reported as
Amtr RANSS10
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
3,600 total8 in this make and model3 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on April 15, 1997, at 23:27Z, a rans amateur built aircraft sustained minor damage during takeoff from San Antonio International Airport during VFR conditions. The pilot reported that the tailwheel bracket attach bolt was loose allowing misalignment of the tail wheel causing the aircraft to ground loop. The pilot and one passenger were uninjured. Upon visual inspection of the aircraft on April 16, 1997, the tailwheel assembly appeared normal. Presumably the tailwheel alignment problem was corrected to facilitate movement of the aircraft to the storage hangar. Further inspection revealed minor damage to the right wing tip, propeller tip damage, a wrinkle in the right main gear strut fairing, and signs of possible deformation (I.e. fabric looseness) just above the left main landing gear strut to fuselage attachment point. Additionally, the right main wheel hub cap was missing and the axlenut was only finger tight and not safetied.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON APRIL 15, 1997, AT 23:27Z, A RANS AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE DURING TAKEOFF FROM SAN ANTONIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DURING VFR CONDITIONS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE TAILWHEEL BRACKET ATTACH BOLT WAS LOOSE ALLOWING MISALIGNMENT OF THE TAIL WHEEL CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO GROUND LOOP. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE UNINJURED. UPON VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT ON APRIL 16, 1997, THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY APPEARED NORMAL. PRESUMABLY THE TAILWHEEL ALIGNMENT PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED TO FACILITATE MOVEMENT OF THE AIRCRAFT TO THE STORAGE HANGAR. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING TIP, PROPELLER TIP DAMAGE, A WRINKLE IN THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR STRUT FAIRING, AND SIGNS OF POSSIBLE DEFORMATION (I.E. FABRIC LOOSENESS) JUST ABOVE THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT TO FUSELAGE ATTACHMENT POINT. ADDITIONALLY, THE RIGHT MAIN WHEEL HUB CAP WAS MISSING AND THE AXLENUT WAS ONLY FINGER TIGHT AND NOT SAFETIED.