20140816014759A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Boeing A75N1(PT17) · Seattle, WA · August 16, 2014

Date
August 16, 2014 · 11:30 local
Place
Seattle, WA
Airport
Boeing Field/King County International
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N719BL
Reported as
Boeing A75N1(PT17)
Reported engine
JACOBS R-755B2M
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
130 total47 in this make and model21 in the last 90 days

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.

On August 16,2014 between 1100 and 1130 pilot was making his first solo flight in his stearman tail wheel aircraft. He departed runway 13R at Boeing field (kbfi) wind 10 mph from 200 degrees. He made a normal take off and immediately began having problems communicating with the tower. The aircraft radio volume was very low and intermittent. He decided to make a full stop landing. On his first landing attempt he bounced applied power and made a go around on his second landing attempt he felt forced to continue the landing on runway 13R due to the unknowns of entering new air space with very poor radio quality. He crossed the runway threshold at 70-75 mph on center line he leveled out while floating down the runway he lost lift dropped and bounced on the runway he applied power while on the runway veered left applied right rudder and was unable to correct a skidding left turn on to the grass between runways 13L and 13R. He came to a stop when the wheels hit a grass covered bearm, tipping the aircraft over on its nose.

As the FAA filed it

ON AUGUST 16,2014 BETWEEN 1100 AND 1130 PILOT WAS MAKING HIS FIRST SOLO FLIGHT IN HIS STEARMAN TAIL WHEEL AIRCRAFT. HE DEPARTED RUNWAY 13R AT BOEING FIELD (KBFI) WIND 10 MPH FROM 200 DEGREES. HE MADE A NORMAL TAKE OFF AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS COMMUNICATING WITH THE TOWER. THE AIRCRAFT RADIO VOLUME WAS VERY LOW AND INTERMITTENT. HE DECIDED TO MAKE A FULL STOP LANDING. ON HIS FIRST LANDING ATTEMPT HE BOUNCED APPLIED POWER AND MADE A GO AROUND ON HIS SECOND LANDING ATTEMPT HE FELT FORCED TO CONTINUE THE LANDING ON RUNWAY 13R DUE TO THE UNKNOWNS OF ENTERING NEW AIR SPACE WITH VERY POOR RADIO QUALITY. HE CROSSED THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD AT 70-75 MPH ON CENTER LINE HE LEVELED OUT WHILE FLOATING DOWN THE RUNWAY HE LOST LIFT DROPPED AND BOUNCED ON THE RUNWAY HE APPLIED POWER WHILE ON THE RUNWAY VEERED LEFT APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER AND WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT A SKIDDING LEFT TURN ON TO THE GRASS BETWEEN RUNWAYS 13L AND 13R. HE CAME TO A STOP WHEN THE WHEELS HIT A GRASS COVERED BEARM, TIPPING THE AIRCRAFT OVER ON ITS NOSE.