- Date
- December 16, 1994, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ulysses, KS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N31271American Champion Citabria 7-GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941216041739A
- Case key
- 9814
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 pilots improper use of brakes during practice landings, and his lack of total experience in tail wheel equipped airplanes.
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
The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting practice full stop, three point, wheel landings on a private dirt strip. The instructor, who was in the aft seat, reported applying brakes too heavily, resulting in the airplane nosing over onto its back.
Factual narrative
On December 16, 1994 about 1030 hours mountain standard time (MST), N31271, an American-Champion Citabria 7-GCBC, owned and operated by Broaddus Aviation, Incorporated of Ulysses, Kansas, flipped onto its back during a practice landing and sustained substantial damage. No fire occurred, and neither the flight instructor nor the student pilot was injured.
Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and had originated from the Ulysses, Kansas Airport at 0945 MST. The pilot and student were performing practice landings at a private dirt strip 15 miles northeast of ULS. The flight instructor, who only had 15 hours total time in tail wheel equipped airplanes, reported that he applied brakes during a full flap, short field, 3 point landing, and the airplane nosed over onto its back.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31271
- Reported as
- American Champion Citabria 7-GCBC (CITABRIA 7)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 405-72
- Airframe hours
- 365
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Broaddus Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal; Special, Provisional (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 17, 1994 · 10 hours before
- Airport
- Private, runway 36, 4,500 × 20 ft, dirt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 360 total · 22 in this make and model · 320 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.