20210422006179I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Mark Merrell VANS RV-8 · Saint Augustine, FL · April 22, 2021

Date: April 22, 2021 · 07:35 local
Place: Saint Augustine, FL
Airport: St. Augustine
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N8281V
Reported as: Mark Merrell Vans RV-8
Reported engine: Superior IO-360 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,460 total

N8281VRegistered now · Mark Merrell VANS RV-8S/N 83083 · Built 2018 Airframe modelMark Merrell VANS RV-8 Engine modelSuperior IO-360 seriesReciprocating

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 22 April, pilot made an approach and landed on runway 31 at ksgj. The crosswind component was strong. Upon landing, he didn?t have sufficient rudder authority to maintain a straight track down the runway. The plane began to ground loop. He tried to arrest it by applying the brakes which pitched the tail up, resulting in the prop striking the ground. The tail then came down and damaged the tail wheel bracket.

As the FAA filed it

ON 22 APRIL, PILOT MADE AN APPROACH AND LANDED ON RUNWAY 31 AT KSGJ. THE CROSSWIND COMPONENT WAS STRONG. UPON LANDING, HE DIDN?T HAVE SUFFICIENT RUDDER AUTHORITY TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT TRACK DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE PLANE BEGAN TO GROUND LOOP. HE TRIED TO ARREST IT BY APPLYING THE BRAKES WHICH PITCHED THE TAIL UP, RESULTING IN THE PROP STRIKING THE GROUND. THE TAIL THEN CAME DOWN AND DAMAGED THE TAIL WHEEL BRACKET.