- Date
- October 7, 2007, 19:00 local (Oct 8, 2007, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Girdwood, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N55XPRittal Glastar
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20071007022479A
- Case key
- 66872
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's excessive use of the brakes during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose over.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The solo private certificated pilot was practicing off airport landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The pilot reported that he was landing on a hard-packed, grassy strip, and applied the brakes too hard at the end of the landing roll. He said the airplane nosed over, damaging the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and one lift-strut. The pilot reported that he had landed on the strip on previous occasions, and that there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The solo private certificated pilot was practicing off airport landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The pilot reported that he was landing on a hard-packed, grassy strip, and applied the brakes too hard at the end of the landing roll. He said the airplane nosed over, damaging the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and one lift-strut. The pilot reported that he had landed on the strip on previous occasions, and that there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55XP
- Reported as
- Rittal Glastar
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 5408
- Airframe hours
- 70
- Engine
- Aerosport O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Timothy Rittal
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 1, 2007
- Departed
- Z41 · Lake Hood Strip, AK
- Destination
- Girdwood, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 321 total · 77 in this make and model · 321 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N55XP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.