- Date
- June 22, 2000, 19:50 local (Jun 23, 2000, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Tylertown, MS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N85861Aeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000622014219A
- Case key
- 51036
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
Loss of directional control due to separation of the tail-wheel spring assembly. A factor was the ditch which run adjacent to the runway.
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
According to the CFI who was occupying the right seat, they had been practicing both three-point and wheel landings. He said that this particular landing was a three-point landing. He said that when they touched down, the tail-wheel shook excessively back and forth at first and then it was smooth. He stated that the airplane veered right while both of them were pushing on the left rudder. The airplane departed the right side of the runway turned around about 180 degrees, slid left into a ditch and collapsed the left main landing gear. According to the CFI, and FAA Inspector, a tail-wheel spring and associated parts had pulled apart from the tail-wheel and were later found on the runway near the point where the airplane veered right, off of the runway.
Factual narrative
On June 22, 2000, at 1950 central daylight time, an Aeronca 11AC, N85861, ground looped during landing on runway 18 at the Pittman Memorial Airport in Tylertown, Mississippi. The airplane was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight. The private pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI) were not injured and the airplane received substantial damage. The flight had originated from McComb-Pike County-Lewis Airport, in McComb, Mississippi, at 1910.
According to the CFI who was occupying the right seat, they had been practicing both three-point and wheel landings. He said that this particular landing was a three-point landing. He said that when they touched down, the tail-wheel shook excessively back and forth at first and then it was smooth. He stated that the airplane veered right while both of them were pushing on the left rudder. The airplane departed the right side of the runway turned around about 180 degrees, slid left into a ditch and collapsed the left main landing gear.
According to the CFI, and FAA Inspector, a tail-wheel spring and associated parts had pulled apart from the tail-wheel and were later found on the runway near the point where the airplane veered off the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85861
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11AC-284
- Airframe hours
- 2,149
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cecil Todd Thomas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 14, 1999 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- MCB · Mc Cob, MS
- Destination
- T36
- Airport
- T36 · Tylertown Airport, runway 36, 3,000 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 297 total · 11 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCB, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.