- Date
- October 15, 2013, 12:55 local (16:55 UTC)
- Place
- Somerville, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N62XXClassic Waco YMF
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 13, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20131015021959A
- Case key
- 88262
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 aircraft control while applying wheel brakes during landing roll resulting in the airplane nosing over.
Findings · 1
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 stated that she departed from runway 26, and flew over a local golf course, then turned to return to the departure airport where she entered the traffic pattern on the downwind leg for runway 26, flying between 75 and 80 knots. She descended to 800 feet and prior to turning base leg she slowed to between 65 and 70 knots, which she maintained on base and final. She turned onto base leg and descended to 500 feet and at that altitude turned onto final approach for runway 26 slowing at touchdown. She performed a wheel landing a few feet farther along the runway than typical or "a little long" which she described as abeam the western edge of the hangars. The airplane travelled onto a portion of the runway that causes undulations and with aft stick applied after encountering the undulations, she tapped the brakes. The airplane then nosed over. She further reported that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane that caused the nose over, and the area of the runway where the undulations were located also was not the cause of the accident. Various video recordings depicted the approach and nose-over sequence; however, the actual touchdown point was not captured. An individual at the accident airport provided a reference for where the airplane came to rest, which was located before a diagonal line that is visible in a Google Earth image. Plotting on Google Earth of the pilot reported touchdown point indicates that position was located about 800 down the 2,200 foot long grass runway, which has the west 500 feet described as being unsuitable for takeoff or landing due to uneven surface. Therefore, the pilot reported touchdown point occurred nearly halfway down the usable length of runway. Although the exact location where the airplane came to rest was not documented, based on video recording, that was located about 500 feet from the pilot reported touchdown point.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that she departed from runway 26, and flew over a local golf course, then turned to return to the departure airport where she entered the traffic pattern on the downwind leg for runway 26, flying between 75 and 80 knots. She descended to 800 feet and prior to turning base leg she slowed to between 65 and 70 knots, which she maintained on base and final. She turned onto base leg and descended to 500 feet and at that altitude turned onto final approach for runway 26 slowing at touchdown. She performed a wheel landing a few feet farther along the runway than typical or "a little long" which she described as abeam the western edge of the hangars. The airplane travelled onto a portion of the runway that causes undulations and with aft stick applied after encountering the undulations, she tapped the brakes. The airplane then nosed over. She further reported that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane that caused the nose over, and the area of the runway where the undulations were located also was not the cause of the accident. Various video recordings depicted the approach and nose-over sequence; however, the actual touchdown point was not captured. An individual at the accident airport provided a reference for where the airplane came to rest, which was located before a diagonal line that is visible in a Google Earth image. Plotting on Google Earth of the pilot reported touchdown point indicates that position was located about 800 down the 2,200 foot long grass runway, which has the west 500 feet described as being unsuitable for takeoff or landing due to uneven surface. Therefore, the pilot reported touchdown point occurred nearly halfway down the usable length of runway. Although the exact location where the airplane came to rest was not documented, based on video recording, that was located about 500 feet from the pilot reported touchdown point.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62XX
- Reported as
- Classic Waco YMF (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F5-027
- Built
- 1989
- Airframe hours
- 583
- Engine
- Jacobs R755B SERIES, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Singh Meera
- Registered owner
- Singh Meera
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 15, 2013
- Departed
- SMQ · Somerville, NJ
- Destination
- SMQ · Somerville, NJ
- Airport
- SMQ · Somerset Airport, runway 26, 2,200 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 5, 2013
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,390 total · 67 in this make and model · 18 in the last 90 days
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,100 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- SMQ
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 4, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.3 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.