- Date
- August 27, 1989, 18:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Mt Pleasant, MI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N787PABradley S-1D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890827031929A
- Case key
- 14199
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 tail wheel spring becoming disconnected resulting in the pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the airplane.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A severe tail wheel shimmy was experienced during the landing roll. Directional control was lost and the airplane traveled off the side of the runway where it contacted a ditch. During the investigation, the left side tail wheel spring was found on the runway. The right side spring remained attached to the rudder, but was disconnected at the tail wheel steering horn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N787PA
- Reported as
- Bradley S-1D
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 724H
- Airframe hours
- 116
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thimothy W Slavens
- Registered owner
- J. Max Bradley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 28, 1988 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- MOP
- Airport
- MOP · Mt Pleasant Muni, runway 27, 5,000 × 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 419 total · 40 in this make and model · 390 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GRR, 58 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.