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20221022018899I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Taylorcraft BC12-D · North Windham, CT · October 22, 2022

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 22, 2022 · 14:52 local
Place
North Windham, CT
Airport
Windham Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N33989
Reported as
Taylorcraft BC12-D
Reported engine
Continental A&C 65
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
4,198 total182 in this make and model2 in the last 90 days
N33989Registered now · Taylorcraft BC12-DS/N 2841 · Built 1941Airframe modelTaylorcraft BC12-DEngine modelContinental A&C65 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 October 2022 at approximately 1520 EST, Taylorcraft N33989, suffered a left main landing gear collapse, and ground loop, when the pilot lost control of the aircraft during the landing roll out. The mishap pilot reported a stabilized approach and landing. The mishap pilot stated that the aircraft veered to the right after landing and did not respond to rudder input. The mishap aircraft continued to veer off of the runway into the grass where the left main landing gear strut collapsed under the fueselage. The aircraft ground looped / spun in a clockwise direction coming to rest in the grass with the left main landing gear folded beneath the aircraft fueselage. Both the mishap pilot and his passenger reported they egressed the aircraft uneventfully and reported no injuries.

Prior to the FAA arrival at the arport, the mishap aircraft had been moved off of the incident site to a safe area of the airport. When the aircraft was examined, the fueselage was resting on a wooden stand, with the left main landing gear strut folded under the fueselage perpendicular to the centerline of the arcraft. Both wings were slightly off of "level" with the left wing low. The aircraft tail was raised slightly allowing for inspection of the tailwheel assembly and movement. This fueselage attitude allowed this inspector to access the cockpit easily and manipulate all flight controls. All flight controls operated freely and properly without any noticeable binding. An examination of each main landing gear tire and wheel assembly indicated two newer tires with minimum to no treadwear or flat spots. There was also no sign of sideload wear on either tire. Only a cursory examination of the left main landing gear strut could be made. There was no obvious evidence of prior damage to the landing gear strut or excessive corrosion that would support the belief that the strut was weakened prior to the incident. Examination of the runway indicated no skid marks or scraping as would have been evident if the aircraft had made a non-stable landing and/or violent runway departure. There was no evidence to support a belief that the left main landing gear failed upon intial contact with the runway, or that the aircraft departed from the runway because of it. The statement of both the pilot and the passenger also supports the evidence that the landing gear failed upon entry into the grassy area off of the runway, during the groundloop.

As the FAA filed it

ON 22 OCTOBER 2022 AT APPROXIMATELY 1520 EST, TAYLORCRAFT N33989, SUFFERED A LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE, AND GROUND LOOP, WHEN THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING THE LANDING ROLL OUT. THE MISHAP PILOT REPORTED A STABILIZED APPROACH AND LANDING. THE MISHAP PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AFTER LANDING AND DID NOT RESPOND TO RUDDER INPUT. THE MISHAP AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO VEER OFF OF THE RUNWAY INTO THE GRASS WHERE THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT COLLAPSED UNDER THE FUESELAGE. THE AIRCRAFT GROUND LOOPED / SPUN IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION COMING TO REST IN THE GRASS WITH THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR FOLDED BENEATH THE AIRCRAFT FUESELAGE. BOTH THE MISHAP PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER REPORTED THEY EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT UNEVENTFULLY AND REPORTED NO INJURIES.

PRIOR TO THE FAA ARRIVAL AT THE ARPORT, THE MISHAP AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN MOVED OFF OF THE INCIDENT SITE TO A SAFE AREA OF THE AIRPORT. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS EXAMINED, THE FUESELAGE WAS RESTING ON A WOODEN STAND, WITH THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT FOLDED UNDER THE FUESELAGE PERPENDICULAR TO THE CENTERLINE OF THE ARCRAFT. BOTH WINGS WERE SLIGHTLY OFF OF "LEVEL" WITH THE LEFT WING LOW. THE AIRCRAFT TAIL WAS RAISED SLIGHTLY ALLOWING FOR INSPECTION OF THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY AND MOVEMENT. THIS FUESELAGE ATTITUDE ALLOWED THIS INSPECTOR TO ACCESS THE COCKPIT EASILY AND MANIPULATE ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS. ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS OPERATED FREELY AND PROPERLY WITHOUT ANY NOTICEABLE BINDING. AN EXAMINATION OF EACH MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE AND WHEEL ASSEMBLY INDICATED TWO NEWER TIRES WITH MINIMUM TO NO TREADWEAR OR FLAT SPOTS. THERE WAS ALSO NO SIGN OF SIDELOAD WEAR ON EITHER TIRE. ONLY A CURSORY EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT COULD BE MADE. THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS EVIDENCE OF PRIOR DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR STRUT OR EXCESSIVE CORROSION THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE BELIEF THAT THE STRUT WAS WEAKENED PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE RUNWAY INDICATED NO SKID MARKS OR SCRAPING AS WOULD HAVE BEEN EVIDENT IF THE AIRCRAFT HAD MADE A NON-STABLE LANDING AND/OR VIOLENT RUNWAY DEPARTURE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT A BELIEF THAT THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR FAILED UPON INTIAL CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY, OR THAT THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM THE RUNWAY BECAUSE OF IT. THE STATEMENT OF BOTH THE PILOT AND THE PASSENGER ALSO SUPPORTS THE EVIDENCE THAT THE LANDING GEAR FAILED UPON ENTRY INTO THE GRASSY AREA OFF OF THE RUNWAY, DURING THE GROUNDLOOP.