- Date
- May 22, 2015, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- McLeansboro, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4100TSmith Vilas Kitfox
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Springfield FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150522006679A
- Case key
- 91235
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 attitude control during the landing roll. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of training and experience in this airplane make and model.
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 during the three point landing roll he failed to hold the stick all the way back, applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed down. The pilot stated the, "forward momentum caused him to apply the brakes harder." He further stated this was his first flight in this airplane make and model, and that he had not received any training in the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the three point landing roll he failed to hold the stick all the way back, applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed down. The pilot stated the, "forward momentum caused him to apply the brakes harder." He further stated this was his first flight in this airplane make and model, and that he had not received any training in the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4100T
- Reported as
- Smith Vilas Kitfox (II)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 720
- Built
- 1990
- Airframe hours
- 402.8
- Engine
- Bombardier/Rotax 582UL, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary R. Nalley
- Registered owner
- Gary R. Nalley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 13, 2014
- Departed
- McLeansboro, IL
- Destination
- McLeansboro, IL
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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- July 24, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 125.9 total · 0.2 in this make and model · 88 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 5.5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- 3LL8, 15 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 22, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.7 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.