# NTSB CEN23LA211: W10 Tailwind, N456TW, Penrose, CO, May 31, 2023 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: May 31, 2023, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC) - Place: Penrose, CO - Coordinates: 38.431635, -105.11269 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4316&lon=-105.1127&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Denver FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 192277 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN23LA211 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/192277/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=192277 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA211 ## Probable cause The failure of the right rudder pedal stop due to an inadequate weld, which resulted in a loss of control on the ground. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Flight control system: rudder control system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022720): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Holmes Paul M W10 TAILWIND, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022720/cases.md?model=05619Y8), [All aircraft, 93 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022720/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) (defining event); cases with it: [Holmes Paul M W10 TAILWIND, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md?model=05619Y8), [All aircraft, 994 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md) - [Takeoff: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300); cases with it: [Holmes Paul M W10 TAILWIND, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=05619Y8), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot, who was in the right seat, stated the left-seat pilot had just completed three uneventful full-stop landings, and then he took over the controls and was flying from the right seat. During the takeoff roll, he applied equal pressure to both rudder pedals. Suddenly, the right pedal broke forward, and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. The left-seat pilot was unable to assist in controlling the airplane before it struck a berm. The airplane came to rest upright with the main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right side of the fuselage and engine mounts. Postaccident examination revealed that the right seat’s right rudder pedal stop, a U-shaped metal rod welded to the rudder pedal torque tube, broke at the weld, and the right pedal was beyond the normal forward limit. The weld appeared to have inadequate penetration into the base material, which resulted in a failure of the weld that allowed the rudder pedal to extend beyond the normal forward limit. ## Factual narrative On May 31, 2023, about 0930 mountain daylight time, a Wittman W10 Tailwind airplane, N456TW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Fremont County Airport (1V6), Penrose, Colorado. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated the other pilot in the left seat had just completed three uneventful full-stop landings, then he took over the controls and was flying from the right seat. During the takeoff roll, he applied equal pressure to both rudder pedals. Suddenly the right pedal broke forward and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. The left-seat pilot was unable assist in controlling the airplane before it struck a berm. The airplane came to rest upright with the main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right side of the fuselage and engine mounts. Postaccident examination by the responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the right rudder pedal stop, a U-shaped metal rod welded to the rudder pedal torque tube, broke at the weld bead and the right pedal was beyond the normal forward limit. The inspector reported observing no corrosion, but that there was inadequate penetration of the weld between the rudder stop and rudder pedal torque tube. Figure 1 shows the right pedal condition after the accident. Figure 1. The right side pedals after the accident. The right pedal is forward of the normal limit. The left pedal is at the normal upright position (courtesy of the pilot). According to the pilot, the airplane was scratch-built from plans and was not assembled from a kit; therefore, the rudder pedals were fabricated by the original builder. The airframe had accumulated 339.2 hours of total time. There had been no discrepancies or recent maintenance completed related to the rudder pedals. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N456TW](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N456TW), registered now, S/N 02-1217, built 2007 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: W10 TAILWIND (NO SERIES) - Registry model: [Holmes Paul M W10 TAILWIND](https://openairdocs.org/model/holmes-paul-m-w10-tailwind) (registry code 05619Y8) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O-320-E2D](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-320-e2d) (registry code 42123, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 02-1217 - Year built: 2007 - Airframe hours: 339.3 - Engines: LYCOMING O-320-E2D 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Schmidt Gail M - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Last inspection: Condition, May 23, 2023 - Airport: 1V6, Fremont County, runway 11, 5,399 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; airline transport, commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: basicmed, with waivers/limitations; last flight review September 8, 2022; seat: right; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 8,105 total, 38 in this make and model, 7,281 as pilot in command, 53 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours - Pilot-rated passenger; age 64; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 4-point ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 100° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: KPUB, 30 nm away - METAR: KPUB 311453Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 17/09 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP109 T01670094 58003 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20230531005919A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230531005919A), May 31, 2023: Holmes Paul M W10 TAILWIND, Canon City, CO, Substantial damage. On 5/31/2023 an experimental aircraft [privacy data omitted] was doing touch and gos at Canon City, Colorado. The aircraft was piloted by the [privacy data… ## Docket (8 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=192277. 40.5 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 6.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17188823&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120%20-%20Pilot_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Correspondence - pilot accident details (item 2, PDF, 2 pages, 76 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17188132&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ROC%20-%20Pilot-Rel.pdf - Correspondence - pilot emails (item 3, PDF, 2 pages, 773 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17188909&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Emails%20-%20pilot%20rated%20pax%20info_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Correspondence - FAA inspector examination (item 4, PDF, 12 pages, 2.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17188457&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20exam%20emails%20photos_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photos (item 5, PDF, 11 pages, 10 photos, 4.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17188833&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Docket%20photos-Rel.pdf - Maintenance records (item 6, PDF, 5 pages, 19.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17187904&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Logbook%20copies_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Correspondence - FAA examination (item 7, PDF, 1 page, 71 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17188609&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ROC%20-%20FAA%20exam-Rel.pdf - Excerpt from exemplar W10 airplane flight manual (item 8, PDF, 1 page, 8.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=17189113&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Excerpt%20from%20Exemplar%20W10%20Airplane%20Flight%20Manual-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.