- Date
- December 29, 2009, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Houma, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N17325Hoover Frank RV-8
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 23, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminisration
- FAA report
- 20091229053549A
- Case key
- 75213
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 during the landing roll.
Findings · 2
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
During the landing rollout the pilot was unable to arrest a swerve to the right and the tailwheel-equipped airplane subsequently ground-looped. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot and passenger were able to exit the airplane unassisted. An examination of the airplane revealed that the wing spar sustained structural damage. No mechanical malfunction was identified with the airplane's flight control system.
Factual narrative
During the landing rollout the pilot was unable to arrest a swerve to the right and the tailwheel equipped airplane subsequently ground looped. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot and passenger were able to exit the airplane unassisted. An examination of the airplane revealed that the wing spar sustained structural damage. In addition, no mechanical malfunction was identified with the airplane's flight control system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N17325
- Reported as
- Hoover Frank RV-8
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 80019
- Airframe hours
- 548
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · March 15, 2009
- Departed
- Destin, FL
- Destination
- HUM · Houma, LA
- Airport
- HUM · Houma-Terrebonne, runway 36, 6,508 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 17, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 19,000 total · 560 in this make and model · 90 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- MSY, 34 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 13, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.