- Date
- October 20, 2008, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tuscola, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3903BHoward Super Sky Raider
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-Springfield FSDO
- FAA report
- 20081020851499A
- Case key
- 69324
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 failed to maintain directional control during takeoff roll. A contributing factor was the cornfield and the pilot's lack of recent experience.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was attempting to takeoff from an unpaved runway. During the takeoff roll, the tail wheel equipped, amateur-built airplane started to "angle to the right." The pilot applied hard left rudder pedal, but the airplane continued to turn right and went off the right side of the 30-foot wide runway, and traveled about 35 feet into a cornfield. The airplane was equipped with heel brakes on the bottom of the rudder pedals, but applying pressure to the top of the rudder pedals operated the rudder. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the rudder operated correctly when the left and right rudder pedals were actuated. The right brake actuated when the right brake pedal was applied. The left brake was not actuated due to the impact damage to the left landing gear leg and wheel. The pilot's logbook indicated that he had not flown between 1981 and August 2008. The pilot had flown 1 hour in the accident airplane with an instructor pilot. The accident flight was the pilot's first solo flight in the accident airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was attempting to takeoff from an unpaved runway. During the takeoff roll, the tail wheel equipped, amateur-built airplane started to "angle to the right." The pilot applied hard left rudder pedal, but the airplane continued to turn right and went off the right side of the 30-foot wide runway, and traveled about 35 feet into a cornfield. The airplane was equipped with heel brakes on the bottom of the rudder pedals, but applying pressure to the top of the rudder pedals operated the rudder. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the rudder operated correctly when the left and right rudder pedals were actuated. The right brake actuated when the right brake pedal was applied. The left brake was not actuated due to the impact damage to the left landing gear leg and wheel. The pilot's logbook indicated that he had not flown between 1981 and August 2008. The pilot had flown 1 hour in the accident airplane with an instructor pilot. The accident flight was the pilot's first solo flight in the accident airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3903B
- Reported as
- Howard Super Sky Raider
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 07
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jerry D. Jolley
- Registered owner
- Barner Lonnie Howard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Departed
- K96 · Tuscola, IL
- Destination
- K96 · Tuscola, IL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- K96 · Tuscola Airport, runway 27, 2,660 × 30 ft, gravel
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
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Flight hours
- 585 total · 1 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.