- Date
- October 19, 1991, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Walterboro, SC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N27DWWinchester Thorp T-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911019047089A
- Case key
- 8538
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 student pilot's improper use of the wheel brakes, and the subsequent loss of directional control. Factors in this accident were the student pilot's lack of total flying experience and the pilot-in-command's inadequate supervision of the flight.
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 student pilot was in the left seat; his father, a commercial pilot (not an instructor), was in the right seat. Wheel brake pedals were installed on the left side only. The student was landing the airplane. Upon touchdown, the tail wheel began to shimmy, and the airplane drifted to the side of the runway. The student applied wheel brakes, however, he reported that his right foot inadvertently pushed a fuel tank brace instead of the right brake pedal. The airplane departed the runway to the left side, and ground looped. There were no reported mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident
Aircraft
- Registration
- N27DW
- Reported as
- Winchester Thorp T-18
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 94
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jones, Howell C. III
- Registered owner
- Jones, Howell C. III
- Departed
- NONE · Sheldon, SC
- Airport
- RBW · Walterboro Municipal, runway 23, 5,150 × 100 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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 28,000 total · 100 in this make and model · 28,000 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CHS, 30 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.