- Date
- March 27, 2010, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N32077Waco YPF-7
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100327031899A
- Case key
- 75809
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 inability to maintain control during landing due to the failure of the tailwheel locking mechanism to remain engaged prior to landing.
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
The pilot stated that he locked the tailwheel on his single-engine airplane prior to departure. After takeoff, he stayed in the traffic pattern and landed. However, during the landing rollout the airplane ground-looped and the airplane's lower right wing contacted the ground, breaking the wood spar. The pilot stated that postaccident examination of the airplane indicated that either hardened grease and dirt buildup may have prevented the tailwheel locking mechanism from fully engaging or that the mechanism may have been inadvertently bumped in flight.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot stated that he locked the tailwheel on his single-engine airplane prior to departure. After takeoff, he stayed in the traffic pattern and landed. However, during the landing roll out, the airplane ground looped and the airplane's lower right wing contacted the ground and broke the wood spar. The pilot stated that on examining the airplane after the accident, that either hardened grease and dirt build up may have prevented the tail wheel locking mechanism from fully engaging or that the mechanism may have been inadvertently bumped in flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32077
- Reported as
- Waco YPF-7
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5709
- Engine
- Jacobs L4 /R755-7, 245 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Memorial Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Memorial Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- AXH · Houston, TX
- Destination
- AXH · Houston, TX
- Airport
- AXH · Houston Southwest Airport, runway 27
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 1,566 total · 21 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.
Other investigations on N32077 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.