What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 8/11/2014 I was tasked by my frontline supervisor of an incident which happened at the Lakeville, NY (NY15) airport on 8/09/2014 involving a pitts S-2B aircraft owned by privacy data omitted. It was reported that the aircraft ground looped during an attempted landing on the grass runway and the pilotprivacy data omitted was not injured. Inspector paul pryor of this office was also assigned as the operations inspector. We contacted privacy data omitted and he stated that he was flying into NY15 to attend a fly in breakfast and made the approach from the north headed south. He reported the weather as clear, VMC with the winds ?dead?. ?the wind sock was hanging there, no breeze?. There were other aircraft parked on both sides of the southern end of the runway and there were tee hangars on both sides of the southern end also. He stated the runway was north-south, was narrow and it was tilted slightly to the west. There was a shallow swill at the north end. He stated that his ?target was to 3 point land the aircraft with the left main tire on the centerline?. He stated he thought he was making a ?good landing and his speed was 95 over the fence?. He drifted to the right (west) and the right aileron spade caught the brush on the right side and he was pulled into a low berm of earth. The right wing ?dug in? And the aircraft went up on its nose striking the propeller. The aircraft spun to the right and the left wing contacted the ground. The tail came back down without ever going fully inverted. The aircraft came to rest facing a northerly direction. He exited the aircraft unharmed. There was no post crash fire.
Inspector pryor and I scheduled a meeting with privacy data omitted later that day to view the aircraft damage. The aircraft was in a secured hangar at NY15. Inspector pryor gave privacy data omitted a pilot?s bill of rights form and privacy data omitted signed it. The upper and lower right wings were heavily damaged with broken main spars and possible severe damage to the flying and landing wire attaches to the wings. The lower left wing was damaged in a similar manner as the right side, with the landing wire attach showing severe stress. The upper left wing was not damaged. The fuselage aft of the cabane attach on the right hand side showed signs of possible bending inward. The tail wheel spring was bent of deflected to the right when viewed from the rear looking forward. A flight control continuity check was performed and was found all correct. I asked privacy data omitted if there were any mechanical issues with the aircraft and he stated ?none, the aircraft was performing 100%?.
After this inspection, I informed privacy data omitted that I am reclassifying the incident into an accident. I informed him that I will contact the NTSB and an investigator will contact him. I gave him the NTSB accident reporting form.
As the FAA filed it
ON 8/11/2014 I WAS TASKED BY MY FRONTLINE SUPERVISOR OF AN INCIDENT WHICH HAPPENED AT THE LAKEVILLE, NY (NY15) AIRPORT ON 8/09/2014 INVOLVING A PITTS S-2B AIRCRAFT OWNED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT GROUND LOOPED DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING ON THE GRASS RUNWAY AND THE PILOT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS NOT INJURED. INSPECTOR PAUL PRYOR OF THIS OFFICE WAS ALSO ASSIGNED AS THE OPERATIONS INSPECTOR. WE CONTACTED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND HE STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING INTO NY15 TO ATTEND A FLY IN BREAKFAST AND MADE THE APPROACH FROM THE NORTH HEADED SOUTH. HE REPORTED THE WEATHER AS CLEAR, VMC WITH THE WINDS ?DEAD?. ?THE WIND SOCK WAS HANGING THERE, NO BREEZE?. THERE WERE OTHER AIRCRAFT PARKED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SOUTHERN END OF THE RUNWAY AND THERE WERE TEE HANGARS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SOUTHERN END ALSO. HE STATED THE RUNWAY WAS NORTH-SOUTH, WAS NARROW AND IT WAS TILTED SLIGHTLY TO THE WEST. THERE WAS A SHALLOW SWILL AT THE NORTH END. HE STATED THAT HIS ?TARGET WAS TO 3 POINT LAND THE AIRCRAFT WITH THE LEFT MAIN TIRE ON THE CENTERLINE?. HE STATED HE THOUGHT HE WAS MAKING A ?GOOD LANDING AND HIS SPEED WAS 95 OVER THE FENCE?. HE DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT (WEST) AND THE RIGHT AILERON SPADE CAUGHT THE BRUSH ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND HE WAS PULLED INTO A LOW BERM OF EARTH. THE RIGHT WING ?DUG IN? AND THE AIRCRAFT WENT UP ON ITS NOSE STRIKING THE PROPELLER. THE AIRCRAFT SPUN TO THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE GROUND. THE TAIL CAME BACK DOWN WITHOUT EVER GOING FULLY INVERTED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST FACING A NORTHERLY DIRECTION. HE EXITED THE AIRCRAFT UNHARMED. THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE.
INSPECTOR PRYOR AND I SCHEDULED A MEETING WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ LATER THAT DAY TO VIEW THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A SECURED HANGAR AT NY15. INSPECTOR PRYOR GAVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A PILOT?S BILL OF RIGHTS FORM AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SIGNED IT. THE UPPER AND LOWER RIGHT WINGS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED WITH BROKEN MAIN SPARS AND POSSIBLE SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE FLYING AND LANDING WIRE ATTACHES TO THE WINGS. THE LOWER LEFT WING WAS DAMAGED IN A SIMILAR MANNER AS THE RIGHT SIDE, WITH THE LANDING WIRE ATTACH SHOWING SEVERE STRESS. THE UPPER LEFT WING WAS NOT DAMAGED. THE FUSELAGE AFT OF THE CABANE ATTACH ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE SHOWED SIGNS OF POSSIBLE BENDING INWARD. THE TAIL WHEEL SPRING WAS BENT OF DEFLECTED TO THE RIGHT WHEN VIEWED FROM THE REAR LOOKING FORWARD. A FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY CHECK WAS PERFORMED AND WAS FOUND ALL CORRECT. I ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IF THERE WERE ANY MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT AND HE STATED ?NONE, THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING 100%?.
AFTER THIS INSPECTION, I INFORMED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT I AM RECLASSIFYING THE INCIDENT INTO AN ACCIDENT. I INFORMED HIM THAT I WILL CONTACT THE NTSB AND AN INVESTIGATOR WILL CONTACT HIM. I GAVE HIM THE NTSB ACCIDENT REPORTING FORM.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.