- Date
- October 17, 2019, 13:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- New Braunfels, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5073YCessna L19
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- FAA report
- 20191017020149A
- Case key
- 100488
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, which resulted in a runway excursion and ground-loop.
Findings · 2
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 landing, the main landing gear touched down, followed by the tailwheel, and the airplane veered left. He corrected with right rudder, but the airplane continued left, exited the runway, and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right 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 the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the main landing gear touched down followed by the tailwheel, and the airplane veered left. He corrected with right rudder, but the airplane continued left, exited the runway to the left, and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5073Y
- Reported as
- Cessna L19 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21714
- Airframe hours
- 969.8
- Engine
- Continental O-470-11B, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 25, 2019
- Departed
- ARM · Wharton, TX
- Destination
- BAZ · New Braunfels, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- BAZ · New Braunfels Rgnl, runway 13, 6,503 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 22, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 9,784 total · 3,066 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KBAZ
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 30, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.