- Date
- June 21, 2012, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Point Lookout, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N53WEEdson Robert W Pietenpol AIR Camper
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20120621011739A
- Case key
- 84106
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 landing, resulting in a ground-loop.
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
On the fourth landing of a test flight, the airplane made a hard, full-stall landing and began drifting to the right. The pilot applied left rudder pedal to arrest the drift, and the airplane ground looped 180 degrees to the left. The pilot applied right rudder to stop the left swing but to no avail. The right main landing gear went off the side of the runway and down a 2-foot dropoff. The right wing tip struck the ground, breaking the wing tip and front and rear wing spars. The airplane came to rest off the side of the runway.
Factual narrative
On the fourth landing of a test flight, the airplane made a hard, full stall landing and began drifting to the right. The pilot applied left rudder pedal to arrest the drift and the airplane ground looped 180 degrees to the left. The pilot applied right rudder to stop the left swing but to no avail. The right main landing gear went off the side of the runway and down a 2-foot drop-off. The right wing tip struck the ground, breaking the wing tip and front and rear wing spars. The aircraft came to rest off the side of the runway, pointed west down runway 30. At 0745, Branson Airport (KBBG) AWOS, located about 7 nautical miles south of Point Lookout, reported wind 310 degrees at 9 knots, with gusts to 26 knots. The pilot said that at the time of the accident, the winds were calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53WE
- Reported as
- Edson Robert W Pietenpol AIR Camper
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 81035
- Airframe hours
- 5
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Edson Robert Wayne
- Registered owner
- Edson Robert Wayne
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 28, 2012 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- KPLK · Point Lookout, MO
- Destination
- KPLK · Point Lookout, MO
- Airport
- KPLK · M. Graham Clark-Taney Co., runway 12, 3,738 × 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 4, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 915 total · 4 in this make and model · 830 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 9 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KBBG, 7 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.