- Date
- August 24, 2011, 18:13 local (22:13 UTC)
- Place
- Ocala, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N250CHPayne/Foster Glasair
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110824020259A
- Case key
- 81597
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 failure of the tailwheel locking mechanism to remain engaged while landing in a crosswind, which resulted in a loss of directional control and runway excursion.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot, he landed the airplane with a crosswind, and during the rollout the airplane veered to the left, ground looped, and departed the left side of the runway. The right main landing gear became caught in a grassy area, which brought the airplane to rest and resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the tailwheel lock mechanism of the free-castering tailwheel assembly was unable to keep the tailwheel engaged in the locked position. The mechanism that locked the tailwheel assembly in place was not broken; however, the spring of that particular tailwheel assembly kit worked in compression, rather than tension, which resulted in less pressure being applied to the tailwheel lock and greater susceptibility for the tailwheel to unlock during a crosswind landing. Subsequently, when the lock mechanism was moved repetitively, it became dislodged from the notch.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, he landed the amateur-built airplane on runway 18 and during the rollout, it slowly veered to the left. The airplane ground looped and then departed the left side of the runway. The right main landing gear became caught in a grassy area, which brought the airplane to rest and resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. An examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed the tailwheel lock mechanism of the free-castering tailwheel assembly was unable to keep the tailwheel engaged in the locked position. The mechanism that locked the tailwheel assembly in place was not broken; however, the spring of that particular tailwheel assembly kit worked in compression, rather than tension, which resulted in less pressure applied to the tailwheel lock and greater susceptibility for the tailwheel to unlock during a crosswind landing. Subsequently, when the inspector moved the lock mechanism repetitively, it became dislodged from the notch. Wind at the airport about the time of the accident was from 110 at 5 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N250CH
- Reported as
- Payne/Foster Glasair
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 250
- Airframe hours
- 650
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Garner Walter C
- Registered owner
- Garner Walter C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 23, 2011 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- MLB · Melbourne, FL
- Destination
- OCF · Ocala, FL
- Airport
- OCF · Ocala International Airport, runway 18, 7,467 × 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
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 28, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,550 total · 3 in this make and model · 113 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- OCF
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 24, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 MB 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 N250CH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.