20220502006589A

Accident · Minor damage

FAA accident report · North American SNJ-6 · Greenwood, SC · May 2, 2022

Date
May 2, 2022 · 12:30 local
Place
Greenwood, SC
Airport
Greenwood
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N451WA
Reported as
North American SNJ-6
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney R1340 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0

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.

T-6 tail wheel trainer/vintage aircraft was on a training mission at the grd airport. CFI and student were performing take off and landings. Aircraft touched down on mains, then as it settled onto the tail wheel after bleeding off speed, it veered to the left hard. CFI attempted to correct, but aircraft entered ground loop. Aircraft exited the side of the runway. Speed at runway exit as estimated by the pilot was at about 30 miles an hour. Main gear buckled and aircraft came to rest on belly damaging wingtip, aileron (hence the accident classification) and damage the propeller. Post accident inspection revealed a broke tail wheel bell crank that caused the aircraft to be uncontrollable after tail wheel touched down.

As the FAA filed it

T-6 TAIL WHEEL TRAINER/VINTAGE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A TRAINING MISSION AT THE GRD AIRPORT. CFI AND STUDENT WERE PERFORMING TAKE OFF AND LANDINGS. AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON MAINS, THEN AS IT SETTLED ONTO THE TAIL WHEEL AFTER BLEEDING OFF SPEED, IT VEERED TO THE LEFT HARD. CFI ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT, BUT AIRCRAFT ENTERED GROUND LOOP. AIRCRAFT EXITED THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. SPEED AT RUNWAY EXIT AS ESTIMATED BY THE PILOT WAS AT ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR. MAIN GEAR BUCKLED AND AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON BELLY DAMAGING WINGTIP, AILERON (HENCE THE ACCIDENT CLASSIFICATION) AND DAMAGE THE PROPELLER. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED A BROKE TAIL WHEEL BELL CRANK THAT CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO BE UNCONTROLLABLE AFTER TAIL WHEEL TOUCHED DOWN.