- Date
- July 27, 2021, 19:00 local (Jul 28, 2021, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Unionville, TN
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N327TTTucker Twin
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210727011999A
- Case key
- 103575
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 loss of directional control during a precautionary landing, which resulted in a collision with a fence post.
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
According to the pilot, during climb out, the engine of the weight-shift control aircraft momentarily lost all power. After leveling off, the engine regained power, and he performed a precautionary landing in a field. The landing was uneventful, but when he applied the brakes, he mistakenly applied the foot throttle. The aircraft accelerated, and he lost directional control. The aircraft impacted a fence post and sustained substantial damage to the airframe. An examination of the engine did not reveal the source of the momentary loss of engine power.
Factual narrative
On July 27, 2021, about 1900 central daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built Twin weight-shift control aircraft, N327TT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Unionville, Tennessee. The pilot received serious injuries, and the passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he was on a local flight with a friend. After departure, he was climbing through 500 ft above ground level when the engine momentarily lost all power. After leveling off, engine power was regained, and he conducted a precautionary landing in a field. The landing was uneventful, but when he applied the brakes, he mistakenly applied the foot throttle. The aircraft accelerated, and he lost directional control. The aircraft collided with a fence post and sustained substantial damage to the airframe. Additionally, the engine sustained impact damage and its fuel lines were destroyed. The aircraft was recovered, and during the examination of the engine, the source of the brief loss of engine power could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N327TT
- Reported as
- Tucker Twin
- Category
- Weight-shift, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 17092
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 100
- Engine
- Rotax 583, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 27, 2021 · 0.5 hours before
- Departed
- Unionville, TN
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- Video recording device
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
- 54
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 1,800 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- LUG, 30 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 6, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.1 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.