- Date
- October 12, 2017, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cedartown, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N323WGDehavilland DHC 1
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 14, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20171012016169A
- Case key
- 96181
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 the landing roll.
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 in the experimental, tailwheel-equipped airplane, when the tailwheel touched down during the landing roll, the right wing lifted, and the airplane veered to the left. The airplane exited the left side of the runway and continued about 100 ft down sloping terrain where it came to rest upright. The pilot and passenger exited the airplane and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The pilot used a fire extinguisher from the airplane to spray the area of the smoke. However, the airplane continued smoking. The airplane was destroyed by a postcrash fire. The pilot reported that the wind was calm at the time of the accident. The METAR nearest to the accident airport reported the same. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot in the experimental, tailwheel-equipped airplane, when the tailwheel touched down during the landing roll, the right wing lifted, and the airplane veered to the left. The airplane exited the left side of the runway and continued about 100ft down sloping terrain where it came to rest upright. The pilot and passenger exited the airplane, and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The pilot, using a fire extinguisher from the airplane, sprayed the area of the smoke. However, the airplane continued smoking. The airplane was destroyed by a post-crash fire The pilot reported that the wind was calm at the time of the accident. The METAR nearest the accident airport, reported the same. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N323WG
- Reported as
- Dehavilland DHC 1 (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- C1-0395
- Built
- 1951
- Airframe hours
- 11,518.7
- Engine
- Rols Royce Jipsy-Major, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Durashok LLC
- Registered owner
- Durashok LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 27, 2017
- Departed
- SRB · Cookeville, TN
- Destination
- 4A4 · Cedartown, GA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 4A4 · Polk County Airport- Cornelius, runway 10, 4,006 × 76 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 157 total · 45 in this make and model · 23 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KPUJ, 12 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 2, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 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.