- Date
- May 9, 2014, 15:05 local (20:05 UTC)
- Place
- Lincoln, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N94TMMorris Thomas Lee Stolp Strdstr SA300
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20140509006629A
- Case key
- 89199
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 loss of directional control while landing in gusty crosswinds in a tail wheel equipped airplane.
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 was performing a full-stop landing after practicing landings at another airport. The tail-wheel equipped airplane touched down on runway 35 with a prevailing wind from 220 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 15 knots. The airplane landed with the main landing gear and the pilot lowered the tail of the airplane by applying aft stick. The tailwheel began to shimmy as the pilot steered the airplane down the runway. During the landing, the airplane began to yaw left and right before lifting up slightly and yawing to the left. The right landing gear buckled when it contacted the ground and the right lower wing contacted the ground resulting in substantial damage. The airplane departed the runway and came to rest to the left side of the runway. An examination of the airplane conducted by inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration did not detect any preimpact anomalies.
Factual narrative
The pilot was performing a full-stop landing after practicing landings at another airport. The tail-wheel equipped airplane touched down on runway 35 with a prevailing wind from 220 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 15 knots. The airplane landed with the main landing gear and the pilot lowered the tail of the airplane by applying aft stick. The tailwheel began to shimmy as the pilot steered the airplane down the runway. During the landing, the airplane began to yaw left and right before lifting up slightly and yawing to the left. The right landing gear buckled when it contacted the ground and the right lower wing contacted the ground resulting in substantial damage. The airplane departed the runway and came to rest to the left side of the runway. An examination of the airplane conducted by inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration did not detect any preimpact anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94TM
- Reported as
- Morris Thomas Lee Stolp Strdstr SA300
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- M001
- Built
- 1993
- Airframe hours
- 490
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Melton William H Jr
- Registered owner
- Melton William H Jr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · September 7, 2013
- Departed
- LNK · Lincoln, NE
- Destination
- LNK · Lincoln, NE
- Airport
- LNK · Lincoln, runway 35, 5,800 × 100 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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Military, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 30, 2012
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,526.6 total · 8 in this make and model · 1,765 as pilot in command · 146.1 in the last 90 days · 37.9 in the last 30 days · 1.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Observed at
- KLNK
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 9, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 624 KB 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.