- Date
- May 23, 2006, 17:10 local (22:10 UTC)
- Place
- Melbourne, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N31875Maule MX-7-180B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060523010549A
- Case key
- 63761
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 directional control while landing resulting in a ground loop. A contributing factor was the prevailing crosswind.
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
While on a 452-mile personal cross-country flight, the 2,800-hour student pilot experienced a problem with the airplane's navigation system and became lost. In order to determine his location and to further examine the navigational system, the pilot selected an airport and elected to land his newly purchased single-engine airplane. During the landing rollout, the pilot lost control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane and the airplane exited the left side of the 4,002-foot long by 75-foot wide asphalt runway. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot was able to egress the cockpit unassisted. No mechanical anomalies were reported with the airplane's flight controls. The pilot reported having accumulated 100 hours in the same make and model. The pilot further reported that the wind at the time of the accident was a "dead crosswind" at 12 knots gusting to 20 knots.
Factual narrative
While on a 452-mile personal cross-country flight, the 2,800-hour student pilot experienced a problem with the airplane's navigation system and became lost. In order to determine his location and to further examine the navigational system, the pilot selected an airport and elected to land his newly purchased single-engine airplane. During the landing rollout, the pilot lost control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane and the airplane exited the left side of the 4,002-foot long by 75-foot wide asphalt runway. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot was able to egress the cockpit unassisted. No mechanical anomalies were reported with the airplane's flight controls. The pilot reported having accumulated 100 hours in the same make and model. The pilot further reported that the wind at the time of the accident was a "dead crosswind" at 12 knots gusting to 20 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31875
- Reported as
- Maule MX-7-180B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22008C
- Airframe hours
- 357
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C1F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- A. Gregory Babykin Jr.
- Registered owner
- Herbert J Reynolds
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PLK · Point Lookout, MO
- Destination
- 47A · Canton, GA
- Airport
- 42A · Melbourne Municipal Arpt, runway 21, 4,002 × 75 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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 100 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 12 knots, gusting 20
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.