- Date
- October 21, 2019, 13:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Nantucket, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1052TMaule MX7
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 100476
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 on a grass runway in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in impact with a large bush.
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 he performed three low passes and briefly touched down on the 750-ft-long grass runway to test the surface before conducting a full-stop landing. The pilot stated that, while landing to the northeast, the airplane bounced and veered right, and he attempted to correct using left rudder. During the landing roll, he heard a noise that sounded like branches brushing against the right side of the airplane and decided to go around by applying full power and retracting the flaps. Concerned that the airplane would not clear the large bush at the end of the runway, he reduced the power to idle and used left rudder to steer the airplane left of the bushes. The airplane impacted the bushes, and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wing lift struts and the elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he performed three low passes and briefly touching down on the 750-ft long grass runway to test the surface prior to conducting a full stop landing. The pilot stated that while landing to the northeast, the airplane bounced and veered right, and he attempted to correct using left rudder. During the landing roll, he heard a noise that sounded like branches brushing against the right side of the airplane and decided to go-ground by applying full power and retracting the flaps. Concerned, he would not clear the large bush at the end of the runway, he reduced the power to idle and used left rudder to steer the airplane left of large bushes. The airplane impacted bushes and collapsed the left main landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wing lift struts and elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An airport's automated weather observation station located 12 miles to the southeast, reported that about the time of the accident, the wind was from 020° at 20 knots, gusting to 27 knots. The pilot was landing the airplane to the northeast.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1052T
- Reported as
- Maule MX7 (180A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20054C
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 2,308.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C4F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 9, 2019
- Departed
- ACK · Nantucket, MA
- Destination
- MA55 · Muskeget Island, MA
- Airport
- MA55 · Muskeget Island, runway NE, 1,100 × 25 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 14, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,790 total · 55 in this make and model · 1,547 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 20 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KACK, 12 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 20, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 MB in all.
Other investigations on N1052T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.