20240408003739I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · North American T-6G · Titusville, FL · April 8, 2024

Date: April 8, 2024 · 11:19 local
Place: Titusville, FL
Airport: Space Coast Regional
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N101FT
Reported as: North American T-6G
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney R1340 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 570 total53 in this make and model14 in the last 90 days

N101FTRegistered now · North American T-6GS/N 49-3380 · Built 1949 Airframe modelNorth American T-6G Engine modelPratt & Whitney R1340 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.

Aircraft (a/c) encountered wind gust on third landing, over runway (rwy) 09. Pilot applied right aileron and left rudder to correct. Wind coming from the right, a/c landed on the right main wheel first, pulled power to idle, while increasing the right aileron input for the wind.

When tailwheel contacted the rwy, a/c veered to the right, corrected with left rudder, ailerons still pointed into the wind. A/c veered further to the right, pilot unable to stop it. Right main wheel went into the grass and a/c ground looped to the left. Damages were to the right wing tip and the trailing edge tip of the right aileron.

Pilot tried to restart the engine, backfire ensued, damaged the fuselage side area containing the carburetor air scoop (at 10 o'clock position from the cockpit) and the area behind the exhaust outlet.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT (A/C) ENCOUNTERED WIND GUST ON THIRD LANDING, OVER RUNWAY (RWY) 09. PILOT APPLIED RIGHT AILERON AND LEFT RUDDER TO CORRECT. WIND COMING FROM THE RIGHT, A/C LANDED ON THE RIGHT MAIN WHEEL FIRST, PULLED POWER TO IDLE, WHILE INCREASING THE RIGHT AILERON INPUT FOR THE WIND.

WHEN TAILWHEEL CONTACTED THE RWY, A/C VEERED TO THE RIGHT, CORRECTED WITH LEFT RUDDER, AILERONS STILL POINTED INTO THE WIND. A/C VEERED FURTHER TO THE RIGHT, PILOT UNABLE TO STOP IT. RIGHT MAIN WHEEL WENT INTO THE GRASS AND A/C GROUND LOOPED TO THE LEFT. DAMAGES WERE TO THE RIGHT WING TIP AND THE TRAILING EDGE TIP OF THE RIGHT AILERON.

PILOT TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE, BACKFIRE ENSUED, DAMAGED THE FUSELAGE SIDE AREA CONTAINING THE CARBURETOR AIR SCOOP (AT 10 O'CLOCK POSITION FROM THE COCKPIT) AND THE AREA BEHIND THE EXHAUST OUTLET.