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20210923018619I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Shambaugh Robert D CUBY · Cornelia, GA · September 23, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 23, 2021 · 17:00 local
Place
Cornelia, GA
Airport
Habersham
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N2243H
Reported as
Shambaugh Robert D Cuby
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-290 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
24,155 total
N2243HRegistered now · Shambaugh Robert D CUBYS/N 01 · Built 1996Airframe modelShambaugh Robert D CUBYEngine modelLycoming 0-290 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.

On September 23, 2021 the pilot of N2243H, an experimental, amateur built Cuby aircraft, serial number 01, landed on runway 24 at Habersham county airport (ajr) near Cornelia ga.

The aircraft was operating under 14 CFR part 91 and in VMC conditions. Upon landing the aircraft experienced an uncontrollable tail wheel shimmy. The pilot pushed forward on the flight control stick to take pressure off of the tail wheel and arrested the shimmy. As the aircraft forward speed slowed, the tail wheel contacted the surface of the runway and began to shimmy uncontrollable again. The pilot was not able to maintain control of the aircraft that resulted in the aircraft making a right turn and departed the runway. The aircraft came to rest approximently fifteen feet down an embankment sustaining damage to the aircraft.

The pilot, the sole person onboard, was uninjured and exited the aircraft. An examination of the tail wheel revealed that the tail wheel assembly to leaf spring attach bolt was loose. Photos provided by the pilot showed that the bolt appeared loose and also appeared to have shifted aft allowing the attach nut to contact the tail wheel steering yoke.

I was assigned to investigate the occurrence on October 20, 2021 and examined the aircraft on October 21, 2021. At the time of my exam of the aircraft it had been removed from the incident scene and was parked on a nearby ramp. Upon examination I found damage to the propeller with evidence consistent with contact to the ground. Furthermore, there was an approximant 10X10 inch hole located on the left lower aft wing tip area with evidence (soil) consistent with contact to the ground. I examined the tail wheel assembly and its attaching hardware. I observed that the tail wheel to leaf spring attachment bolt did not extend past the locking portion of the nut and appeared slanted aft. The rudder cables, rudder to tail wheel steering linkage and attaching hardware appeared normal with no defects noted.

At the time of the incident the aircraft registration was invalid. I found a suspense on N2243H. It appears a letter was sent out addressed to the registered owner and address on file dated March 16, 2021. It noted the missing (iii) after your name and a missing digit in the telephone number listed. Also the letter enclosed an extension of 120 days from March 16, 2021 or until the issuance of ac form 8050-3, whichever occurred first.

As the FAA filed it

ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 THE PILOT OF N2243H, AN EXPERIMENTAL, AMATEUR BUILT CUBY AIRCRAFT, SERIAL NUMBER 01, LANDED ON RUNWAY 24 AT HABERSHAM COUNTY AIRPORT (AJR) NEAR CORNELIA GA.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 AND IN VMC CONDITIONS. UPON LANDING THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN UNCONTROLLABLE TAIL WHEEL SHIMMY. THE PILOT PUSHED FORWARD ON THE FLIGHT CONTROL STICK TO TAKE PRESSURE OFF OF THE TAIL WHEEL AND ARRESTED THE SHIMMY. AS THE AIRCRAFT FORWARD SPEED SLOWED, THE TAIL WHEEL CONTACTED THE SURFACE OF THE RUNWAY AND BEGAN TO SHIMMY UNCONTROLLABLE AGAIN. THE PILOT WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT THAT RESULTED IN THE AIRCRAFT MAKING A RIGHT TURN AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST APPROXIMENTLY FIFTEEN FEET DOWN AN EMBANKMENT SUSTAINING DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

THE PILOT, THE SOLE PERSON ONBOARD, WAS UNINJURED AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE TAIL WHEEL REVEALED THAT THE TAIL WHEEL ASSEMBLY TO LEAF SPRING ATTACH BOLT WAS LOOSE. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE PILOT SHOWED THAT THE BOLT APPEARED LOOSE AND ALSO APPEARED TO HAVE SHIFTED AFT ALLOWING THE ATTACH NUT TO CONTACT THE TAIL WHEEL STEERING YOKE.

I WAS ASSIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE OCCURRENCE ON OCTOBER 20, 2021 AND EXAMINED THE AIRCRAFT ON OCTOBER 21, 2021. AT THE TIME OF MY EXAM OF THE AIRCRAFT IT HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE INCIDENT SCENE AND WAS PARKED ON A NEARBY RAMP. UPON EXAMINATION I FOUND DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER WITH EVIDENCE CONSISTENT WITH CONTACT TO THE GROUND. FURTHERMORE, THERE WAS AN APPROXIMANT 10X10 INCH HOLE LOCATED ON THE LEFT LOWER AFT WING TIP AREA WITH EVIDENCE (SOIL) CONSISTENT WITH CONTACT TO THE GROUND. I EXAMINED THE TAIL WHEEL ASSEMBLY AND ITS ATTACHING HARDWARE. I OBSERVED THAT THE TAIL WHEEL TO LEAF SPRING ATTACHMENT BOLT DID NOT EXTEND PAST THE LOCKING PORTION OF THE NUT AND APPEARED SLANTED AFT. THE RUDDER CABLES, RUDDER TO TAIL WHEEL STEERING LINKAGE AND ATTACHING HARDWARE APPEARED NORMAL WITH NO DEFECTS NOTED.

AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION WAS INVALID. I FOUND A SUSPENSE ON N2243H. IT APPEARS A LETTER WAS SENT OUT ADDRESSED TO THE REGISTERED OWNER AND ADDRESS ON FILE DATED MARCH 16, 2021. IT NOTED THE MISSING (III) AFTER YOUR NAME AND A MISSING DIGIT IN THE TELEPHONE NUMBER LISTED. ALSO THE LETTER ENCLOSED AN EXTENSION OF 120 DAYS FROM MARCH 16, 2021 OR UNTIL THE ISSUANCE OF AC FORM 8050-3, WHICHEVER OCCURRED FIRST.