- Date
- February 27, 2020, 12:25 local (18:25 UTC)
- Place
- Kingsbury, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N685SERaf SE5A
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA - San Antonio FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200227002109A
- Case key
- 101012
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 a proper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing, and his subsequent loss of directional control, which resulted in a ground loop.
Findings · 3
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 the initial touchdown was harder than expected and that the airplane bounced to the left. He was able to correct back to the right, but the airplane bounced again. When the airplane touched down the third time, it subsequently ground looped and the landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or deficiencies that led to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that the accident happened while landing the conventional (tailwheel) gear equipped World War I replica fighter airplane after a test flight. He stated that the flight was uneventful until the initial touchdown which was harder than expected and the airplane bounced to the left. He was able to correct back to the right but the airplane bounced a second time to the left. When the airplane came down the third time it ground looped. The landing gear collapsed and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies that led to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N685SE
- Reported as
- Raf SE5A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 6851
- Built
- 2017
- Engine
- Wright - Hisso E, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Training Services Inc
- Registered owner
- Training Services Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 85TE · Kingsbury, TX
- Destination
- 85TE · Kingsbury, TX
- Airport
- 85TE · Old Kingsbury Aerodrome, runway 32, 2,600 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 2 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.45 inHg
- Observed at
- SEQ
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 19, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 258 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.
Other investigations on N685SE · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.