What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot of an American Champion denali scout equipped with 29-inch tundra tires performed maintenance on the aircraft’s mixture control system. Following the maintenance, the pilot departed for grapevine airstrip (88AZ), but subsequently landed at buzzard gulch, an unimproved remote airstrip approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of payson.
After landing and while taxiing in preparation for departure, the pilot observed abnormal bouncing from the tail section of the aircraft. The pilot shut down the aircraft and conducted a visual inspection, which revealed the tailwheel assembly had separated from the aircraft due to a broken leaf spring and was being dragged by the control cables.
The pilot contacted several acquaintances for recovery assistance from the remote location; however, no assistance was available. One individual suggested using engine thrust to raise the tail during takeoff. Due to the late hour, the pilot elected to depart the airstrip and return the aircraft to the home airport in its damaged condition. The takeoff was completed successfully using the described technique.
Upon return, the pilot elected to land on a gravel area adjacent to the runway with the intention of keeping the tail elevated during landing rollout and stopping. While on the gravel surface, brake application with the tail elevated caused the aircraft to pitch forward and overturn, resulting in substantial damage to the wing, wing strut, and vertical stabilizer.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT OF AN AMERICAN CHAMPION DENALI SCOUT EQUIPPED WITH 29-INCH TUNDRA TIRES PERFORMED MAINTENANCE ON THE AIRCRAFT’S MIXTURE CONTROL SYSTEM. FOLLOWING THE MAINTENANCE, THE PILOT DEPARTED FOR GRAPEVINE AIRSTRIP (88AZ), BUT SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED AT BUZZARD GULCH, AN UNIMPROVED REMOTE AIRSTRIP APPROXIMATELY 20 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF PAYSON.
AFTER LANDING AND WHILE TAXIING IN PREPARATION FOR DEPARTURE, THE PILOT OBSERVED ABNORMAL BOUNCING FROM THE TAIL SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT AND CONDUCTED A VISUAL INSPECTION, WHICH REVEALED THE TAILWHEEL ASSEMBLY HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO A BROKEN LEAF SPRING AND WAS BEING DRAGGED BY THE CONTROL CABLES.
THE PILOT CONTACTED SEVERAL ACQUAINTANCES FOR RECOVERY ASSISTANCE FROM THE REMOTE LOCATION; HOWEVER, NO ASSISTANCE WAS AVAILABLE. ONE INDIVIDUAL SUGGESTED USING ENGINE THRUST TO RAISE THE TAIL DURING TAKEOFF. DUE TO THE LATE HOUR, THE PILOT ELECTED TO DEPART THE AIRSTRIP AND RETURN THE AIRCRAFT TO THE HOME AIRPORT IN ITS DAMAGED CONDITION. THE TAKEOFF WAS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY USING THE DESCRIBED TECHNIQUE.
UPON RETURN, THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND ON A GRAVEL AREA ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY WITH THE INTENTION OF KEEPING THE TAIL ELEVATED DURING LANDING ROLLOUT AND STOPPING. WHILE ON THE GRAVEL SURFACE, BRAKE APPLICATION WITH THE TAIL ELEVATED CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO PITCH FORWARD AND OVERTURN, RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WING, WING STRUT, AND VERTICAL STABILIZER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.