What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Drifted landing quartering tailwind exited runway into embankment. Left gear tore off. Corrosion on right gear. (-23) pilot was engaged in banner towing operations and had been flying for approximately 6 1/2 hours that day. He had just completed a banner drop heading sw and circled for a landing to the NE on the dry, grass runway. Winds had been strong and gusty from the nw all day. It was approx. 3:00 pm local. The pilot made a wheel landing due to the strong crosswind. After the tail had come down during the landing roll the aircraft began to veer sharply to the right. The pilot tried applying the brakes and using left rudder but the aircraft continued right towards a pond. He then added full power to try to regain rudder effectiveness. The aircraft continued toward the pond in a right arc and the aircraft struck the bank and tall grass around the pond. The propeller struck the bank of the pond and the aircraft slid forward and turned to the right. It came to rest on an approximate heading of east. The pilot exited the aircraft and called the owner and mechanic, but did not feel that the damage constituted "substantial" damage to notify the n tsb. Following the accident, the pilot passes out twice and was taken to the emergency clinic. He was released later that evening with a mild concussion. The owner moved the aircraft as he perceived that its current location constituted an environmental hazard to the pond. The aircraft was loaded aboard a flatbed wooden trailer with a forklift. During the loading, the tailwheel went through the wood on the bed of the trailer and resulted in the rudder contacting the metal railing of the trailer. The rudder was damaged due to this contact. Discussion with the pilot revealed that he had landed approximately 1/2 way down the 2600 ft. runway. Has he landed sooner on the runway, the aircraft would have had a field to the right rather than a pond. The pilot also stated that he added full power to try to regain rudder effectiveness and to become airborne again to try another landing. Had he become airborne, he would have struck the buildings, equipment, or trees to the right side of the runway. Examination of the aircraft revealed corrosion of the right main landing gear and rotting of the bungees of the right gear. The initial loss of directional control was quite possibly a partial failure of the right landing gear. The left landing gear had collapsed the previous year during a flight by the same pilot. The cause of the left gear collapsing was determined to be corrosion of the landing gear strut, according to the operator. During the accident investigation, both the owner and the pilot were very cooperative with the inspectors.
As the FAA filed it
DRIFTED LANDING QUARTERING TAILWIND EXITED RUNWAY INTO EMBANKMENT. LEFT GEAR TORE OFF. CORROSION ON RIGHT GEAR. (-23) PILOT WAS ENGAGED IN BANNER TOWING OPERATIONS AND HAD BEEN FLYING FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 1/2 HOURS THAT DAY. HE HAD JUST COMPLETED A BANNER DROP HEADING SW AND CIRCLED FOR A LANDING TO THE NE ON THE DRY, GRASS RUNWAY. WINDS HAD BEEN STRONG AND GUSTY FROM THE NW ALL DAY. IT WAS APPROX. 3:00 PM LOCAL. THE PILOT MADE A WHEEL LANDING DUE TO THE STRONG CROSSWIND. AFTER THE TAIL HAD COME DOWN DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO VEER SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT TRIED APPLYING THE BRAKES AND USING LEFT RUDDER BUT THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED RIGHT TOWARDS A POND. HE THEN ADDED FULL POWER TO TRY TO REGAIN RUDDER EFFECTIVENESS. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TOWARD THE POND IN A RIGHT ARC AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE BANK AND TALL GRASS AROUND THE POND. THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE BANK OF THE POND AND THE AIRCRAFT SLID FORWARD AND TURNED TO THE RIGHT. IT CAME TO REST ON AN APPROXIMATE HEADING OF EAST. THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND CALLED THE OWNER AND MECHANIC, BUT DID NOT FEEL THAT THE DAMAGE CONSTITUTED "SUBSTANTIAL" DAMAGE TO NOTIFY THE N TSB. FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT PASSES OUT TWICE AND WAS TAKEN TO THE EMERGENCY CLINIC. HE WAS RELEASED LATER THAT EVENING WITH A MILD CONCUSSION. THE OWNER MOVED THE AIRCRAFT AS HE PERCEIVED THAT ITS CURRENT LOCATION CONSTITUTED AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD TO THE POND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOADED ABOARD A FLATBED WOODEN TRAILER WITH A FORKLIFT. DURING THE LOADING, THE TAILWHEEL WENT THROUGH THE WOOD ON THE BED OF THE TRAILER AND RESULTED IN THE RUDDER CONTACTING THE METAL RAILING OF THE TRAILER. THE RUDDER WAS DAMAGED DUE TO THIS CONTACT. DISCUSSION WITH THE PILOT REVEALED THAT HE HAD LANDED APPROXIMATELY 1/2 WAY DOWN THE 2600 FT. RUNWAY. HAS HE LANDED SOONER ON THE RUNWAY, THE AIRCRAFT WOULD HAVE HAD A FIELD TO THE RIGHT RATHER THAN A POND. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT HE ADDED FULL POWER TO TRY TO REGAIN RUDDER EFFECTIVENESS AND TO BECOME AIRBORNE AGAIN TO TRY ANOTHER LANDING. HAD HE BECOME AIRBORNE, HE WOULD HAVE STRUCK THE BUILDINGS, EQUIPMENT, OR TREES TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED CORROSION OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND ROTTING OF THE BUNGEES OF THE RIGHT GEAR. THE INITIAL LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS QUITE POSSIBLY A PARTIAL FAILURE OF THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR. THE LEFT LANDING GEAR HAD COLLAPSED THE PREVIOUS YEAR DURING A FLIGHT BY THE SAME PILOT. THE CAUSE OF THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSING WAS DETERMINED TO BE CORROSION OF THE LANDING GEAR STRUT, ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR. DURING THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION, BOTH THE OWNER AND THE PILOT WERE VERY COOPERATIVE WITH THE INSPECTORS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.