20180323010019A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Flightworks CAPELLA XS FW2C80TD · Hartselle, AL · March 23, 2018

Date: March 23, 2018 · 18:30 local
Place: Hartselle, AL
Airport: Hartselle-Morgan County Airpor
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N654MM
NTSB investigation: NTSBGAA18CA178
Reported as: Flightworks Capella XS FW2C80TD
Reported engine: ROTAX 912
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 152 total57 in this make and model5 in the last 90 days

N654MMRegistered now · Flightworks CAPELLA XS FW2C80TDS/N 91008 · Built 1995 Airframe modelFlightworks CAPELLA XS FW2C80TD Engine modelRotax 912 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.

This aircraft has a conventional landing gear. Upon landing, pilot failed to compensate for reduction in aerodynamic effectiveness of the vertical stabilizer and rudder in lowering airspeeds, resulting in loss of directional control and subsequent ground loop. Aircraft suffered substantial damage to right wing attach fittings, propeller and landing gear.

As the FAA filed it

THIS AIRCRAFT HAS A CONVENTIONAL LANDING GEAR. UPON LANDING, PILOT FAILED TO COMPENSATE FOR REDUCTION IN AERODYNAMIC EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER IN LOWERING AIRSPEEDS, RESULTING IN LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT GROUND LOOP. AIRCRAFT SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO RIGHT WING ATTACH FITTINGS, PROPELLER AND LANDING GEAR.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB GAA18CA178Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportHartselle, ALThe pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.Mar 23, 2018 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N654MM · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20150808013069ILanding: Touchdown · Hartselle, AL[privacy data omitted] Certificate no. [privacy data omitted] Operated N654MM VFR from 8A1 to 5M0 attempting to land runway 36 making a go around due to a perceived up draft. On the next attempt N654MM crossed the threshold at 60 knots with one notch flaps…Aug 8, 2015 · Minor damage