What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The airplane was located south of runway 23 on a down sloping bank of a drainage ditch where it impacted several small trees. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing leading edges, wing ribs, rudder, and tail wheel. The propeller tips were damaged and broken. There were numerous cuts and punctures in the fabric. The airman stated that after landing on runway 23 with a light quartering left crosswind the aircraft began to weathervane to the left and he failed to apply adequate control correction to prevent the aircraft from veering further to the left. The airman stated that once he realized he was not going in the direction he wanted to be going in he may have panicked and added power which propelled him across the parallel taxiway south of the runway and into small trees along a drainage ditch on a southeast heading. The airman assumed responsibility for loss of directional control.a review of the airman's logbook revealed no evidence of required aeronautical knowledge in accordance with 14 CFR 61.87(b). The airman's flight instructor, dennis lowell downing, ATP 1851640, stated that he thought the satisfactory completion of the sport pilot airplane knowledge test fulfilled this requirement. The weather was VFR with good visibility, a few scattered clouds, south wind estimated at 5 knots, and no precipitation. The runway was dry. Weather was not considered to be a factor. The absence of any skid marks or any other evidentiary marks on the runway, taxiway, and grass indicates the aircraft likely did not experience a brake, steering, or other mechanical malfunction. There was a faint tire skid mark on the parallel taxiway immediately prior to the aircraft impacting small trees along the drainage ditch indicative of the pilot's use of wheel brakes in an effort to slow the airplane. The airman stated that he did not experience any known mechanical malfunction.a review of the aircraft maintenance logbooks indicated that the aircraft was in an airworthy condition at the time of the accident.
As the FAA filed it
THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF RUNWAY 23 ON A DOWN SLOPING BANK OF A DRAINAGE DITCH WHERE IT IMPACTED SEVERAL SMALL TREES. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WING LEADING EDGES, WING RIBS, RUDDER, AND TAIL WHEEL. THE PROPELLER TIPS WERE DAMAGED AND BROKEN. THERE WERE NUMEROUS CUTS AND PUNCTURES IN THE FABRIC.THE AIRMAN STATED THAT AFTER LANDING ON RUNWAY 23 WITH A LIGHT QUARTERING LEFT CROSSWIND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO WEATHERVANE TO THE LEFT AND HE FAILED TO APPLY ADEQUATE CONTROL CORRECTION TO PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM VEERING FURTHER TO THE LEFT. THE AIRMAN STATED THAT ONCE HE REALIZED HE WAS NOT GOING IN THE DIRECTION HE WANTED TO BE GOING IN HE MAY HAVE PANICKED AND ADDED POWER WHICH PROPELLED HIM ACROSS THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY AND INTO SMALL TREES ALONG A DRAINAGE DITCH ON A SOUTHEAST HEADING. THE AIRMAN ASSUMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL.A REVIEW OF THE AIRMAN'S LOGBOOK REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF REQUIRED AERONAUTICAL KNOWLEDGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH 14 CFR 61.87(B). THE AIRMAN'S FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, DENNIS LOWELL DOWNING, ATP 1851640, STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE SATISFACTORY COMPLETION OF THE SPORT PILOT AIRPLANE KNOWLEDGE TEST FULFILLED THIS REQUIREMENT.THE WEATHER WAS VFR WITH GOOD VISIBILITY, A FEW SCATTERED CLOUDS, SOUTH WIND ESTIMATED AT 5 KNOTS, AND NO PRECIPITATION. THE RUNWAY WAS DRY. WEATHER WAS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A FACTOR.THE ABSENCE OF ANY SKID MARKS OR ANY OTHER EVIDENTIARY MARKS ON THE RUNWAY, TAXIWAY, AND GRASS INDICATES THE AIRCRAFT LIKELY DID NOT EXPERIENCE A BRAKE, STEERING, OR OTHER MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. THERE WAS A FAINT TIRE SKID MARK ON THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTING SMALL TREES ALONG THE DRAINAGE DITCH INDICATIVE OF THE PILOT'S USE OF WHEEL BRAKES IN AN EFFORT TO SLOW THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRMAN STATED THAT HE DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY KNOWN MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.A REVIEW OF THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOGBOOKS INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN AN AIRWORTHY CONDITION AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.