- Date
- August 20, 1995, 14:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Petersburg, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2446VInsua L-21
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950820027039A
- Case key
- 9078
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 failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll.
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 pilot stated that he lost control of the airplane after touchdown, and the airplane ground looped to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground. The pilot reported that the winds were calm and there was no mechanical malfunction.
Factual narrative
On August 30, 1995, about 1445 eastern daylight time, an Insua L-21 homebuilt airplane, N2446V, piloted by the registered owner, sustained substantial damage when the right wing struck the ground during the landing roll in Petersburg, Virginia. The private pilot and one passenger, the sole occupants, reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the pleasure flight, no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated in Florence, South Carolina approximately 1115.
The pilot stated that he landed at Petersburg, Virginia to refuel, and intended to continue on to Cambridge, Maryland. He reported that he landed on runway 5, but "...lost control on touchdown...plane ground looped to [the] left... ." The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing struck the ground. The pilot reported that the winds were calm, and that there was no mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2446V
- Reported as
- Insua L-21
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 14795330
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Knight, Donald A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- FLO · Florence, SC
- Destination
- PTB
- Airport
- PTB · Petersburg Municipal, runway 5, 4,998 × 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 431 total · 431 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.