20240803010769I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Rudowick Edward J PITTS SPECIAL S-1C · Longview, TX · August 3, 2024

Date
August 3, 2024 · 11:55 local
Place
Longview, TX
Airport
East Texas Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8517K
Reported as
Rudowick Edward J Pitts Special S-1C
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
6,069 total7 in this make and model32 in the last 90 days

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 08/03/2024, pilot was landing at Longview (ggg) for refuel. He confirmed with tower on runway location. When he landed, pilot stated he experienced the expected instability and made corrections to maintain centerline and inadvertantly experienced a ground loop to the left side of the runway. He came to a stop in the grass approximately 4000 feet down the length of runway 31 between taxiways d and e. the pilot was not injured (only occupant). The tailwheel assembly had snapped off at the attachment point to the airframe and there was damage to the RH lower wingtip and LH wheel cover.

As the FAA filed it

ON 08/03/2024, PILOT WAS LANDING AT LONGVIEW (GGG) FOR REFUEL. HE CONFIRMED WITH TOWER ON RUNWAY LOCATION. WHEN HE LANDED, PILOT STATED HE EXPERIENCED THE EXPECTED INSTABILITY AND MADE CORRECTIONS TO MAINTAIN CENTERLINE AND INADVERTANTLY EXPERIENCED A GROUND LOOP TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. HE CAME TO A STOP IN THE GRASS APPROXIMATELY 4000 FEET DOWN THE LENGTH OF RUNWAY 31 BETWEEN TAXIWAYS D AND E. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED (ONLY OCCUPANT). THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY HAD SNAPPED OFF AT THE ATTACHMENT POINT TO THE AIRFRAME AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE RH LOWER WINGTIP AND LH WHEEL COVER.