What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
ATC reported: Oakland, TN (7TN4):privacy data omitted, T6, veered left off of runway 26 while on takeoff roll causing the aircraft to collide with trees and flip over. The post crash fire was contained by local fire department. Pilot was transported to the hospital via ambulance with minor injuries.
Video evidence shows the aircraft taxiing to the center of the grass strip, at which point the pilot turned right to align with the runway centerline. As power was added, engine torque caused the aircraft to move left. The aircraft proceeded forward, directly into the sun. Finding himself outside the left runway side marker, the pilot attempted to correct back to the right. However, due to the runway's camber, and questionable tail wheel operation, the aircraft did not respond and ended up in the trees bordering the left side, 1,200 feet from the initial roll-out.
The fuselage was found upside down, with the largest section of the entire wing assembly resting against its south side. Ten feet of the right wing had sheared on impact with a tree and rested on the North side of the fuselage; the fuel tanks were fully breached.
Flight control continuity was verified. The rudder and elevator were confirmed connected to their respective cockpit controls. The tail wheel lock pin was engaged, with the tail wheel moving in unison with the rudder. Aileron continuity could not be checked due to the wing separation.
Inspectors from this office visited amf aviation in springfield, TN, to inspect the tailwheel locking mechanism of the accident aircraft at the request of the NTSB. The locking mechanism was checked by using the elevator cable to rotate the tailwheel and was found to be working as expected in both the locked and unlocked conditions.
Inspectors next gained access to the lock pin by removing the bolts, nuts, and springs holding the assembly together. Upon inspection, and based on information supplied by the NTSB, the pin was different than expected: instead of a single pin, it was in two pieces. The tailwheel plate has a round hole into which the pin drops to lock the tailwheel to the rudder. The end of the locking pin that engages the tailwheel plate was no longer round; it had worn into a teardrop shape across its width. The upper part of the lock pin was intermittently binding in the upper portion of the lock assembly, which could potentially keep it from properly engaging.
As the FAA filed it
ATC REPORTED: OAKLAND, TN (7TN4):^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, T6, VEERED LEFT OFF OF RUNWAY 26 WHILE ON TAKEOFF ROLL CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO COLLIDE WITH TREES AND FLIP OVER. THE POST CRASH FIRE WAS CONTAINED BY LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT. PILOT WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE WITH MINOR INJURIES.
VIDEO EVIDENCE SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT TAXIING TO THE CENTER OF THE GRASS STRIP, AT WHICH POINT THE PILOT TURNED RIGHT TO ALIGN WITH THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. AS POWER WAS ADDED, ENGINE TORQUE CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO MOVE LEFT. THE AIRCRAFT PROCEEDED FORWARD, DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN. FINDING HIMSELF OUTSIDE THE LEFT RUNWAY SIDE MARKER, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT BACK TO THE RIGHT. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE RUNWAY'S CAMBER, AND QUESTIONABLE TAIL WHEEL OPERATION, THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT RESPOND AND ENDED UP IN THE TREES BORDERING THE LEFT SIDE, 1,200 FEET FROM THE INITIAL ROLL-OUT.
THE FUSELAGE WAS FOUND UPSIDE DOWN, WITH THE LARGEST SECTION OF THE ENTIRE WING ASSEMBLY RESTING AGAINST ITS SOUTH SIDE. TEN FEET OF THE RIGHT WING HAD SHEARED ON IMPACT WITH A TREE AND RESTED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE; THE FUEL TANKS WERE FULLY BREACHED.
FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS VERIFIED. THE RUDDER AND ELEVATOR WERE CONFIRMED CONNECTED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COCKPIT CONTROLS. THE TAIL WHEEL LOCK PIN WAS ENGAGED, WITH THE TAIL WHEEL MOVING IN UNISON WITH THE RUDDER. AILERON CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE CHECKED DUE TO THE WING SEPARATION.
INSPECTORS FROM THIS OFFICE VISITED AMF AVIATION IN SPRINGFIELD, TN, TO INSPECT THE TAILWHEEL LOCKING MECHANISM OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AT THE REQUEST OF THE NTSB. THE LOCKING MECHANISM WAS CHECKED BY USING THE ELEVATOR CABLE TO ROTATE THE TAILWHEEL AND WAS FOUND TO BE WORKING AS EXPECTED IN BOTH THE LOCKED AND UNLOCKED CONDITIONS.
INSPECTORS NEXT GAINED ACCESS TO THE LOCK PIN BY REMOVING THE BOLTS, NUTS, AND SPRINGS HOLDING THE ASSEMBLY TOGETHER. UPON INSPECTION, AND BASED ON INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY THE NTSB, THE PIN WAS DIFFERENT THAN EXPECTED: INSTEAD OF A SINGLE PIN, IT WAS IN TWO PIECES. THE TAILWHEEL PLATE HAS A ROUND HOLE INTO WHICH THE PIN DROPS TO LOCK THE TAILWHEEL TO THE RUDDER. THE END OF THE LOCKING PIN THAT ENGAGES THE TAILWHEEL PLATE WAS NO LONGER ROUND; IT HAD WORN INTO A TEARDROP SHAPE ACROSS ITS WIDTH. THE UPPER PART OF THE LOCK PIN WAS INTERMITTENTLY BINDING IN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE LOCK ASSEMBLY, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY KEEP IT FROM PROPERLY ENGAGING.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.