- Date
- October 24, 2021, 15:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Pickens, SC · Off departure end of runway 23
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3771MNorth American AT-6D
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20211024018849A
- Case key
- 104166
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 landing, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with rocky terrain.
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 landing his tailwheel airplane at his home airport at the conclusion of a cross-country trip. The approach and touchdown were normal. The tail came down “a little sooner than I expected” and the airplane briefly lifted off again a few inches. After the airplane touched down again, it began to ground loop, and departed the side of the runway about 1/3 of the way down from the approach end. The airplane continued through the grass and down a drop off, striking several large rocks before coming to a stop. The left main landing gear sheared off and structural damage to the lower fuselage and left wing resulted. The pilot stated that the accident was “pure pilot error” and there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3771M
- Reported as
- North American AT-6D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 88-17109
- Airframe hours
- 7,254
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 2021
- Departed
- RMG · Rome, GA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- LQK · Pickens County, runway 05/23, 5,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 7, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 23,109 total · 387 in this make and model · 38 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KLQK, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLQK 241955Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/12 A3010 RMK AO2 T02390121
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 N3771M · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.