20140609013939I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Lima David SEAREY · Vacaville, CA · June 9, 2014

Date: June 9, 2014 · 15:10 local
Place: Vacaville, CA
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N639R
Reported as: Lima David Searey
Reported engine: ROTAX 912ULS
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,615 total23 in this make and model73 in the last 90 days

N639RRegistered now · Lima David SEAREYS/N 1DK254 · Built 2011 Airframe modelLima David SEAREY Engine modelRotax 912ULS series4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft veered off runway on landing rollout.

Control cables to the tail wheel assembly became tangled during water ops. When extended, this caused the tail wheel to be forcibly deflected approx 45 degrees right instead of aligned with the axis of the aircraft. This caused an immediate swerve to the left upon touchdown. Application of full right rudder was insufficient to counter and the aircraft continued left with the wheel displaced to the right.

Brakes and right rudder were maintained to bring the aircraft to a stop just off the left side of the runway. Minor damage to the tailwheel assembly was assessed on-site.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF RUNWAY ON LANDING ROLLOUT.

CONTROL CABLES TO THE TAIL WHEEL ASSEMBLY BECAME TANGLED DURING WATER OPS. WHEN EXTENDED, THIS CAUSED THE TAIL WHEEL TO BE FORCIBLY DEFLECTED APPROX 45 DEGREES RIGHT INSTEAD OF ALIGNED WITH THE AXIS OF THE AIRCRAFT. THIS CAUSED AN IMMEDIATE SWERVE TO THE LEFT UPON TOUCHDOWN. APPLICATION OF FULL RIGHT RUDDER WAS INSUFFICIENT TO COUNTER AND THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED LEFT WITH THE WHEEL DISPLACED TO THE RIGHT.

BRAKES AND RIGHT RUDDER WERE MAINTAINED TO BRING THE AIRCRAFT TO A STOP JUST OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. MINOR DAMAGE TO THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS ASSESSED ON-SITE.