- Date
- June 3, 2017, 10:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Williamson, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N218DLBoeing B75N1
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 95346
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 aggressive and early forward stick application during the landing roll, which resulted in his failure to maintain pitch control and a subsequent nose-over.
Findings · 4
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he was performing a wheel landing on a turf runway. He recalled that he was too aggressive and too early moving the stick forward during the touchdown and landing roll. The airplane's tail lifted, the nose pitched down, and the propeller stuck the ground. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented "by not being so early moving the stick forward in a taildragger during a wheel landing." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he was performing a wheel landing on a turf surface runway. He recalled that he was too aggressive and too early moving the stick forward during the touchdown and landing roll. The airplane's tail ascended, the nose pitched down and the propeller stuck the ground. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and the rudder. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented, "by not being so early moving the stick forward in a taildragger during a wheel landing." The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N218DL
- Reported as
- Boeing B75N1 (N1)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 75-7389
- Built
- 1943
- Engine
- Jacobs B755, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2017
- Departed
- DZJ · Blairsville, GA
- Destination
- GA2 · Williamson, GA
- Airport
- GA2 · Alexander Memorial, runway 13, 2,400 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Data recorder
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
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 25, 2017
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 24,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 15,000 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- K6A2, 6 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 12, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 MB in all.
Other investigations on N218DL · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.