- Date
- October 15, 2011, 19:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Deland, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N929SCPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report February 6, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20111015025769A
- Case key
- 82097
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 inadequate directional control during the landing roll.
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
The pilot was practicing a three point landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane when the airplane veered to the left after touchdown. The pilot stated that when he tried to correct to the right, he heard an abnormal noise from the tailwheel, and the tailwheel locked. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane had exited the right side of the runway, hit a taxiway sign, traveled 50 more yards, and nosed over. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fabric was torn in numerous places, the propeller was broken, the forward left wing strut was bent, the right landing gear was broken and bent up under the fuselage, and the fuselage was twisted. The examination revealed no evidence of any preimpact failure or malfunction of the flight controls; the tailwheel moved freely to the left and right with rudder pedal application, and no binding was noted.
Factual narrative
While practicing three point takeoffs and landings in the tail wheel equipped airplane for a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required examination, the pilot experienced a loss of control when the airplane veered to the left after touchdown. The pilot stated that he tried to correct to the right but that he heard an abnormal noise from the tailwheel and then it locked. Examination of the accident site by an FAA inspector revealed that the airplane had run off the right side of the runway, hit a taxiway sign, traveled 50 more yards, and nosed over. Examination of the airplane revealed that its airframe was substantially damaged. The fabric was torn in numerous places, the propeller was broken, the forward left wing strut was bent, the right landing gear was broken and bent up under the fuselage, and the airframe exhibited evidence of torsional deformation. Further examination revealed no evidence of any preimpact failure or malfunction of the flight controls. No binding was discovered and the tailwheel would move freely to the left and right with rudder pedal application.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N929SC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7909002
- Airframe hours
- 12,722
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2011
- Departed
- DED · Deland, FL
- Destination
- DED · Deland, FL
- Airport
- DED · Deland Municipal Airport, runway 05, 4,301 × 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
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 16, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 654 total · 141 in this make and model · 575 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- DAB, 13 nm away
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 21, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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 N929SC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.