- Date
- August 24, 2012, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Robbinsville, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9055Stearman M-2
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120824017219A
- Case key
- 84812
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 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
According to the pilot, when the tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down during landing, it began to veer to the left. He attempted to straighten the airplane by applying right brake, but the airplane continued to the left, ground looped, and then came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, when the tailwheel equipped airplane touched down during landing, it began to veer to the left. He attempted to straighten the subsequent landing roll by applying right brake, but the airplane continued to the left, ground looped, and then came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9055
- Reported as
- Stearman M-2
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1005
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-1690, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Alan C Lopez
- Registered owner
- Alan C Lopez
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 2012 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- N87 · Robbinsville, NJ
- Destination
- N87 · Robbinsville, NJ
- Airport
- N87 · Trenton-Robbinsville Airport, runway 11, 4,275 × 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
- 70
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 30, 2011
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 2,656 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 2,455 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- TTN, 10 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 16, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 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.