What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
N47964 had recently finished its 100HR/annual inspection and had been flown by privacy data omitted, who is a PT-17 instructor. privacy data omitted Flight was the first flight since the test flight. He had been briefed by privacy data omitted that the spring tail suspension that they had successfully used previously, had been replaced with an air/oil suspension strut. He told privacy data omitted a spring suspension wheel was on order and would be put on when it arrived. He told privacy data omitted to try and bring the tail wheel down gently as the strut was stiff.
privacy data omitted Started the engine of N47964 at 12:15 and got ATIS golf, winds at 6, temp 26, dew point 1, vis 10, clear, runways 04 l/r in use. He taxed out to runway 04R intending to practice landings and finish off his 10 hours flying this aircraft, which would allow him to give revenue rides in the PT-17. The wind was now 200 at 6, so he decided to depart to the north east until the tower switched runways. Take off was normal. He departed class d airspace and flew to the north of saguaro lake then back to red mountain he obtained ATIS hotel, which gave winds of 190 at 6 and runway 22L/R in use and contacted ffz tower. He was cleared to final for runway 22L. On final for 22L. He was cleared to land on 22L. He requested a wind check and was given 180, at 6.
Approach and flare were normal. He touched down on the center line at approx. 12:55. He made a soft landing because of the tail wheel briefing and once the tail wheel was down he brought the control stick fully back and let the aircraft decelerate. As the aircraft decelerated it tracked to the left. He made small corrections attempting to get back to the centerline. As he made this input of right rudder, the nose started to move to the right and the tail suddenly dropped several inches. The nose then quickly came left and the aircraft exited the left side of the runway just west of taxiway D7.
The ground between the runway and taxiway slopes down into a gully for water drainage in this area. The right wing touched the ground and the aircraft stopped between 22R and taxiway d.
He stopped the engine, informed the tower he was ok and that he wanted to take a look at the aircraft. He could see the scuff marks under the right wing tip and a crease mark in the right aileron which he assumed had made most contact with the rough ground. The propeller and engine showed no signs of damage so with the help of two guys sent out by the tower, the aircraft was pushed onto the taxiway and he requested to taxi back to the caf ramp via taxiway d.
Once the aircraft was in the hanger, a walk around showed the right aileron was slightly bent, scuff marks under the right wing tip. The tail wheel was leaning to the left. When caf member privacy data omitted, who owns two stearmans, stood on the rear fuselage handle, the tail wheel banged down several inches on its suspension and did not spring back up when he stepped off, it did come back up and stayed up when the tail was lifted by the rear handles. The tail wheel strut was not damaged by the landing.
He have heard since the PT-17 flight the several people in the flight department were not happy that the air/oil tail strut had been installed. Apparently it was sticking as described above prior to my flight and would not depress very easily, unlike the spring suspension previously used on N47964 and currently installed on the other two stearmans in the museum.
During the maintenance inspection after the accident it was determined that the tail air/oil strut had failed and the strut has been replaced. The right lower wings spar was also cracked in several places and is on order for replacement.
Amend. 6/3/2013 to add NTSB report number.
As the FAA filed it
N47964 HAD RECENTLY FINISHED ITS 100HR/ANNUAL INSPECTION AND HAD BEEN FLOWN BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WHO IS A PT-17 INSTRUCTOR. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FLIGHT WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT SINCE THE TEST FLIGHT. HE HAD BEEN BRIEFED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT THE SPRING TAIL SUSPENSION THAT THEY HAD SUCCESSFULLY USED PREVIOUSLY, HAD BEEN REPLACED WITH AN AIR/OIL SUSPENSION STRUT. HE TOLD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A SPRING SUSPENSION WHEEL WAS ON ORDER AND WOULD BE PUT ON WHEN IT ARRIVED. HE TOLD ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TO TRY AND BRING THE TAIL WHEEL DOWN GENTLY AS THE STRUT WAS STIFF.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STARTED THE ENGINE OF N47964 AT 12:15 AND GOT ATIS GOLF, WINDS AT 6, TEMP 26, DEW POINT 1, VIS 10, CLEAR, RUNWAYS 04 L/R IN USE. HE TAXED OUT TO RUNWAY 04R INTENDING TO PRACTICE LANDINGS AND FINISH OFF HIS 10 HOURS FLYING THIS AIRCRAFT, WHICH WOULD ALLOW HIM TO GIVE REVENUE RIDES IN THE PT-17. THE WIND WAS NOW 200 AT 6, SO HE DECIDED TO DEPART TO THE NORTH EAST UNTIL THE TOWER SWITCHED RUNWAYS. TAKE OFF WAS NORMAL. HE DEPARTED CLASS D AIRSPACE AND FLEW TO THE NORTH OF SAGUARO LAKE THEN BACK TO RED MOUNTAIN HE OBTAINED ATIS HOTEL, WHICH GAVE WINDS OF 190 AT 6 AND RUNWAY 22L/R IN USE AND CONTACTED FFZ TOWER. HE WAS CLEARED TO FINAL FOR RUNWAY 22L. ON FINAL FOR 22L. HE WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON 22L. HE REQUESTED A WIND CHECK AND WAS GIVEN 180, AT 6.
APPROACH AND FLARE WERE NORMAL. HE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE CENTER LINE AT APPROX. 12:55. HE MADE A SOFT LANDING BECAUSE OF THE TAIL WHEEL BRIEFING AND ONCE THE TAIL WHEEL WAS DOWN HE BROUGHT THE CONTROL STICK FULLY BACK AND LET THE AIRCRAFT DECELERATE. AS THE AIRCRAFT DECELERATED IT TRACKED TO THE LEFT. HE MADE SMALL CORRECTIONS ATTEMPTING TO GET BACK TO THE CENTERLINE. AS HE MADE THIS INPUT OF RIGHT RUDDER, THE NOSE STARTED TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT AND THE TAIL SUDDENLY DROPPED SEVERAL INCHES. THE NOSE THEN QUICKLY CAME LEFT AND THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY JUST WEST OF TAXIWAY D7.
THE GROUND BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY SLOPES DOWN INTO A GULLY FOR WATER DRAINAGE IN THIS AREA. THE RIGHT WING TOUCHED THE GROUND AND THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED BETWEEN 22R AND TAXIWAY D.
HE STOPPED THE ENGINE, INFORMED THE TOWER HE WAS OK AND THAT HE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE AIRCRAFT. HE COULD SEE THE SCUFF MARKS UNDER THE RIGHT WING TIP AND A CREASE MARK IN THE RIGHT AILERON WHICH HE ASSUMED HAD MADE MOST CONTACT WITH THE ROUGH GROUND. THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE SHOWED NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE SO WITH THE HELP OF TWO GUYS SENT OUT BY THE TOWER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS PUSHED ONTO THE TAXIWAY AND HE REQUESTED TO TAXI BACK TO THE CAF RAMP VIA TAXIWAY D.
ONCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN THE HANGER, A WALK AROUND SHOWED THE RIGHT AILERON WAS SLIGHTLY BENT, SCUFF MARKS UNDER THE RIGHT WING TIP. THE TAIL WHEEL WAS LEANING TO THE LEFT. WHEN CAF MEMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WHO OWNS TWO STEARMANS, STOOD ON THE REAR FUSELAGE HANDLE, THE TAIL WHEEL BANGED DOWN SEVERAL INCHES ON ITS SUSPENSION AND DID NOT SPRING BACK UP WHEN HE STEPPED OFF, IT DID COME BACK UP AND STAYED UP WHEN THE TAIL WAS LIFTED BY THE REAR HANDLES. THE TAIL WHEEL STRUT WAS NOT DAMAGED BY THE LANDING.
HE HAVE HEARD SINCE THE PT-17 FLIGHT THE SEVERAL PEOPLE IN THE FLIGHT DEPARTMENT WERE NOT HAPPY THAT THE AIR/OIL TAIL STRUT HAD BEEN INSTALLED. APPARENTLY IT WAS STICKING AS DESCRIBED ABOVE PRIOR TO MY FLIGHT AND WOULD NOT DEPRESS VERY EASILY, UNLIKE THE SPRING SUSPENSION PREVIOUSLY USED ON N47964 AND CURRENTLY INSTALLED ON THE OTHER TWO STEARMANS IN THE MUSEUM.
DURING THE MAINTENANCE INSPECTION AFTER THE ACCIDENT IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TAIL AIR/OIL STRUT HAD FAILED AND THE STRUT HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE RIGHT LOWER WINGS SPAR WAS ALSO CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES AND IS ON ORDER FOR REPLACEMENT.
AMEND. 6/3/2013 TO ADD NTSB REPORT NUMBER.
Other reports on N47964 · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.