- Date
- April 11, 2010, 13:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N897DCMaule MX7
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100411031499A
- Case key
- 75752
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 during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model airplane.
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane stated that he made a three-point landing on the asphalt runway. After touchdown, the airplane began to pull to the right and the pilot corrected by applying left rudder. The airplane immediately turned "hard left,” collapsing the right main landing gear. The right wing impacted the runway and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures. The pilot had received a tailwheel endorsement the day prior to the accident, and reported 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. He also stated to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had received limited exposure to operating the tailwheel-equipped airplane on hard-surface runways, as his tailwheel flight instruction was conducted mostly from turf runways.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane stated that he made a "three-point" landing on the asphalt runway. After touchdown, the airplane began to "pull" to the right, and the pilot corrected by applying left rudder. "Within a split second," the airplane turned "hard left,” collapsing the right main landing gear. The right wing impacted the runway and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures. The pilot had received a tailwheel endorsement the day prior to the accident, and reported 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. He also stated to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had received limited exposure to operating the tailwheel-equipped airplane on hard-surface runways, as his tailwheel flight instruction was conducted mostly from turf runways.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N897DC
- Reported as
- Maule MX7 (180A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20012C
- Airframe hours
- 2,877
- Engine
- Lycoming O360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Matthew M. Soddy
- Registered owner
- Matthew M. Soddy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 5, 2010
- Departed
- NC47 · Winterville, NC
- Destination
- PGV · Greenville, NC
- Airport
- PGV · Pitt-Greenville, runway 02, 6,505 × 150 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
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 205 total · 5 in this make and model · 205 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.32 inHg
- Observed at
- PGV
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 396 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 N897DC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.