- Date
- March 7, 2012, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Hollandale, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N9148CAir Tractor AT-502B
- Defining event
- Taxi-to runway: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120307002939A
- Case key
- 83068
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 taxiing in gusty wind conditions.
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 reported that he was taxiing the tailwheel-equipped agricultural application airplane for takeoff when the airplane encountered a left quartering tailwind gust, and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane veered left and departed the left side of the runway. The tailwheel block attaching bolts failed and the tailwheel spring impacted the ground, stopping the airplane's lateral rotation, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage just forward of the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
While back-taxiing the tail wheel-equipped agricultural application airplane for takeoff, the pilot reported that he encountered a gust of left quartering tailwind and was "unable to maintain directional control" of the airplane. The airplane veered left and departed the left side of the runway. The tail wheel block attaching bolts subsequently failed and the tail wheel spring then impacted the ground, stopping the airplane's lateral rotation, and shearing all four of the longerons just forward of the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9148C
- Reported as
- Air Tractor AT-502B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 502B-0632
- Airframe hours
- 6,477
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PT-6A, 750 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 13, 2012 · 6,470 hours before
- Departed
- 14M · Hollandale, MS
- Destination
- 14M · Hollandale, MS
- Airport
- 14M · Hollandale Municipal, runway 08, 3,000 × 50 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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 18,111 total · 11,083 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- GLH, 20 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 10, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 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.