What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The aircraft was involved in an accident during an airshow performance of a car top take off and landing routine. The pilot stated that after performing the landing and waving to the crowd, he and the driver of the car lined up at the departure end of the runway and proceeded to start the takeoff roll. The tail of the aircraft lifted off as expected. The driver of the car was to reach 43 mph. The pilot stated he was watchig for the latching mechanism to release the left main landing gear tire assembly first, then the right main landing gear tire. During the actuation of the release system, the forward section of the wheel stops fall forward and down to a point just below parallel with the ramps. After the tires were released he applied full power and pulled back on the control stick. The aircraft rolled forward into the concave wheel stops. The tail wheel struck a support tube on the car just above the rear window then bounced slightly. For a brief moment the tailwheel was free from the structure on the car before once again becoming entangled in the left hand ramp on the car. At this point, forward movement became lateral movement to the left. As the aircraft rotated and rolled to thel left, the left hand elevator contacted the outside of the left hand ramp and was crushed, twisting the entire empennage. The left wing tip dipped and struck the ground with the aircraft approximately 90 degrees to the initial direction of travel. The left main landing gear contacted the ground and collapsed. The right main landing gear collapsed and the prop struck the ground simultaneously. At this point the nose of the aircraft was 180 degrees from the direction of travel. The aircraft continued sliding down the runway spinning an additional 360 degrees before coming to rest again pointing 180 degrees to intended takeoff direction. The pilot shut off the magnetos and immediately egressed the aircraft uninjured. The extent of the damage includes, but is not limited to the following: 1. Left front spar is cracked/split and lower surface is ground down at o.b. end 2. Left rear spar is cracked/split through grain (wood spar) 12-16 inches inboard of tip 3. Left main landing gear leg bent/collapsed 4. Right main landing gear leg bent/collapsed 5. Propeller bent forward just outboard of blade midspan and back of blades heavily damaged from contact with runway 6. Sudden stoppage event of the engine 7. Fuselage skin shows wrinkles aft of cockpit section 8. Left horizontal stabilizer crashed 9. Left elevator crushed 10. Right horizontal stabilizer leading edge tubing is bent upward just outboard of the fuselage 11. Vertical stabilizer leading edge tubing is bent 12. Lower fuselage longeron tubing is broken just forward of the tailwheel spring attachment 13. Tailwheel control horn on the right hand side of rudder assembly is broken off 14. Several cuts and areas worn thru the fuselage skin on belly and left hand side.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DURING AN AIRSHOW PERFORMANCE OF A CAR TOP TAKE OFF AND LANDING ROUTINE. THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER PERFORMING THE LANDING AND WAVING TO THE CROWD, HE AND THE DRIVER OF THE CAR LINED UP AT THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY AND PROCEEDED TO START THE TAKEOFF ROLL. THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT LIFTED OFF AS EXPECTED. THE DRIVER OF THE CAR WAS TO REACH 43 MPH. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS WATCHIG FOR THE LATCHING MECHANISM TO RELEASE THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE ASSEMBLY FIRST, THEN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE. DURING THE ACTUATION OF THE RELEASE SYSTEM, THE FORWARD SECTION OF THE WHEEL STOPS FALL FORWARD AND DOWN TO A POINT JUST BELOW PARALLEL WITH THE RAMPS. AFTER THE TIRES WERE RELEASED HE APPLIED FULL POWER AND PULLED BACK ON THE CONTROL STICK. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED FORWARD INTO THE CONCAVE WHEEL STOPS. THE TAIL WHEEL STRUCK A SUPPORT TUBE ON THE CAR JUST ABOVE THE REAR WINDOW THEN BOUNCED SLIGHTLY. FOR A BRIEF MOMENT THE TAILWHEEL WAS FREE FROM THE STRUCTURE ON THE CAR BEFORE ONCE AGAIN BECOMING ENTANGLED IN THE LEFT HAND RAMP ON THE CAR. AT THIS POINT, FORWARD MOVEMENT BECAME LATERAL MOVEMENT TO THE LEFT. AS THE AIRCRAFT ROTATED AND ROLLED TO THEL LEFT, THE LEFT HAND ELEVATOR CONTACTED THE OUTSIDE OF THE LEFT HAND RAMP AND WAS CRUSHED, TWISTING THE ENTIRE EMPENNAGE. THE LEFT WING TIP DIPPED AND STRUCK THE GROUND WITH THE AIRCRAFT APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES TO THE INITIAL DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE GROUND AND COLLAPSED. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE PROP STRUCK THE GROUND SIMULTANEOUSLY. AT THIS POINT THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS 180 DEGREES FROM THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED SLIDING DOWN THE RUNWAY SPINNING AN ADDITIONAL 360 DEGREES BEFORE COMING TO REST AGAIN POINTING 180 DEGREES TO INTENDED TAKEOFF DIRECTION. THE PILOT SHUT OFF THE MAGNETOS AND IMMEDIATELY EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT UNINJURED. THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING: 1. LEFT FRONT SPAR IS CRACKED/SPLIT AND LOWER SURFACE IS GROUND DOWN AT O.B. END 2. LEFT REAR SPAR IS CRACKED/SPLIT THROUGH GRAIN (WOOD SPAR) 12-16 INCHES INBOARD OF TIP 3. LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR LEG BENT/COLLAPSED 4. RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR LEG BENT/COLLAPSED 5. PROPELLER BENT FORWARD JUST OUTBOARD OF BLADE MIDSPAN AND BACK OF BLADES HEAVILY DAMAGED FROM CONTACT WITH RUNWAY 6. SUDDEN STOPPAGE EVENT OF THE ENGINE 7. FUSELAGE SKIN SHOWS WRINKLES AFT OF COCKPIT SECTION 8. LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER CRASHED 9. LEFT ELEVATOR CRUSHED 10. RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER LEADING EDGE TUBING IS BENT UPWARD JUST OUTBOARD OF THE FUSELAGE 11. VERTICAL STABILIZER LEADING EDGE TUBING IS BENT 12. LOWER FUSELAGE LONGERON TUBING IS BROKEN JUST FORWARD OF THE TAILWHEEL SPRING ATTACHMENT 13. TAILWHEEL CONTROL HORN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF RUDDER ASSEMBLY IS BROKEN OFF 14. SEVERAL CUTS AND AREAS WORN THRU THE FUSELAGE SKIN ON BELLY AND LEFT HAND SIDE.
Other reports on N38272 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.