# Incident 19980921033039I: Waverly, TN, September 21, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 21, 1998, 15:35 local time
- Place: Waverly, TN
- Airport: Humphreys County Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.1166° N, 87.7382° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at HUMPHREYS COUNTY (0M5), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.1166&lon=-87.7382&mi=10
- Aircraft: NONE (not matched to a registry record)
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980921033039I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) PRIOR TO FAA CERTIFICATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL LEADING EDGE NIEUPORT BIPLANE THAT HE HAD BEEN CONSTRUCTING OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, MR. IRA C. MERCER WAS CONDUCTING GROUND HANDLING TESTS DURING TAXI. MR. MERCER REPORTED THAT HE HAD BEEN GRADUALLY INCREASING THE TAXI SPEED BOTH TO TEST MANEUVERABILITY ON THE GROUND AND TO GAIN EXPERIENCE HANDLING THE AIRCRAFT. ON THE DAY OF THIS INCIDENT, THE AIRPLANE INADVERTENTLY BECAME AIRBORNE IN GROUND EFFECT AT 44 MILES PER HOUR DURING A TAXI TEST DOWN THE RUNWAY. NO FLIGHT WAS INTENDED FOR THIS TEST, AS THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT YET HOLD EITHER AN AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE OR A REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE. MR. MERCER REPORTED THAT HE IMMEDIATELY CHOPPED THE THROTTLE, AND WHEN THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN LEFT-WHEEL-FIRST, HE LOST CONTROL AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY, COMING TO REST INVERTED BESIDE THE RUNWAY. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT CONSISTED OF A BROKEN PROPELLER, A DAMAGED RUDDER, AND A DAMAGED LOWER WING. MR. MERCER HAS CONSULTED WITH THE MARKETER OF THE PLANS FOR THE AIRCRAFT AND HAS DETERMINED THAT HE HAD MOUNTED THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER INCORRECTLY AT 5/16 INCH RATHER THAN 1 1/4 INCHE TO ACHIEVE AN ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF 2 TO 3 DEGREES. ^PRIVAC^^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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