- Date
- January 29, 2019, 14:27 local (22:27 UTC)
- Place
- Truckee, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N949TSEmmet Smith Roadrunner
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190129000469A
- Case key
- 98925
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. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to allow the airplane to exit the runway onto a snow-covered field, which resulted in a 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 reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane began to ground loop to the left. He corrected with opposite rudder and aileron and regained control of the airplane, but the airplane started to veer right. The pilot added that, while the airplane was veering right toward the edge of the runway, he assumed the snow on the adjacent field was compacted and would efficiently slow the airplane, so he let the airplane exit the runway to the right; however, the snow was "softer than [he] anticipated," and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing lift strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation system reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 020º at 3 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 20.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel equipped airplane began to ground loop left. He corrected with opposite rudder and aileron and regained control of the airplane, but the airplane started to veer right. The pilot added that while the airplane was veering right towards the edge of the runway, he assumed the snow on the adjacent field was compacted and would efficiently slow the airplane so he let the airplane exit the runway to the right but the snow was "softer than [he] anticipated" and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing lift strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation system located on the accident airport, about the time of the accident, reported the wind was from 020º at 3 knots. The airplane landed on runway 20.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N949TS
- Reported as
- Emmet Smith Roadrunner
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 0818
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 63
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · September 13, 2018
- Departed
- O02 · Beckwourth, CA
- Destination
- TRK · Truckee, CA
- Airport
- TRK · Truckee-Tahoe, runway 20, 4,654 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,434 total · 6,379 in this make and model · 1,388 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 9.1 in the last 30 days · 4.1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KTRK
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 15, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.