- Date
- October 20, 1997, 13:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ogden, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N40013Helio H-800
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 31, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971020037569A
- Case key
- 20466
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
failure of the tail wheel assembly, which rendered the aircraft uncontrollable during landing roll.
Analysis
During the landing roll, when the tail wheel contacted the runway, the aircraft started to vibrate and directional control could not be maintained. Subsequently, the aircraft ground looped and came to a stop on the runway. Examination provided evidence that the tail wheel assembly failed at a previously repaired weld and separated from the aircraft. No preexisting condition was found that would have contributed to the failure, and an examination of maintenance records failed to reveal when a repair was made to the tail wheel assembly. The tower controller said the landing appeared normal. Winds were calm at the time of the occurrence.
Factual narrative
On October 20, 1997, at 1300 mountain daylight time, a Helio Aircraft, Ltd. H-800, N40013, sustained substantial damage when the tail wheel separated during landing roll. The private pilot and sole occupant was not injured. The flight was a local area personal flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Inspector who examined the aircraft, the tail wheel separated during landing roll due to a weld failure in the tail wheel assembly. The skin on the aft fuselage and two aft bulkheads also sustained damage.
According to the pilot, he was taking the aircraft in for an annual inspection. When he landed and the tail wheel settled to the ground, the aircraft started to "shimmy." Directional control was not possible and the aircraft ground looped and came to a stop on the runway. He said the tail wheel was locked for landing and the wind was calm.
Both the pilot and an FAA inspector said that the tail wheel bracket failed at a previous repair weld joint. Examination by the FAA airworthiness inspector provided no evidence of a preexisting condition which would have contributed to the failure. Examination of maintenance records failed to reveal when a repair was made to the tail wheel assembly.
The air traffic tower controller was interviewed by the FAA inspector, and said the landing appeared to be normal and the aircraft ground looped during landing roll.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40013
- Reported as
- Helio H-800
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- H-2
- Airframe hours
- 1,162
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-A1B, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Igor Best-Devereux
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 4, 1996 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- SLC · Salt Lake City, UT
- Destination
- OGD
- Airport
- OGD · Hinkley Municipal, runway 16, 5,300 × 150 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 780 total · 33 in this make and model · 567 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ODG
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.