# NTSB IAD05CA128: Presley RV-4, N228X, Biddeford, ME, August 27, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: August 27, 2005, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC) - Place: Biddeford, ME - Coordinates: 43.464168, -70.472503 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.4642&lon=-70.4725&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Portland, ME. - NTSB case key (mKey): 62360 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=IAD05CA128 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62360/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD05CA128 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. Contributing to the accident was the wind gusts. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - loose gravel/sandy ## Analysis The pilot attempted to execute a three point landing in an amateur built tailwheel equipped airplane. A gust of wind struck the airplane, it stalled, landed hard, and veered off the runway. After leaving the pavement, the airplane struck a soft sandy area, nosed over and was substantially damaged. At the time of the accident the pilot had accumulated 29.5 hours of flight time, in the make and model of airplane. ## Factual narrative On August 27, 2005, about 1230 eastern daylight time, an amateur built Van's RV-4, N228X, was substantially damaged while landing at Biddeford Municipal Airport (B19), Biddeford, Maine. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed Augusta State Airport (AUG), Augusta, Maine. No flight plan was filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot's written statement, he had an "uneventful" departure and flight from AUG to B19 with "mild to moderate" turbulence en route to 4,000 feet msl. However, while attempting to execute a "three point" landing and approximately 1 to 2 feet above the runway, a gust of wind hit the airplane from the right front. The airplane stalled, touched down "hard" and then departed the left side of the pavement. It then encountered soft sand and nosed over. A postaccident inspection of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the landing gear had been bent backwards, the motor mount was broken, the firewall was bent, and the propeller and left wingtip were damaged. During an interview conducted on September 16, 2005, the pilot stated that he had done a three point landing earlier in the day without any difficulty. Around the time that the accident occurred though, the wind had "become gusty" and two other pilots flying tailwheel airplanes told him that they also had "almost lost it." The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. On his pilot/operator aircraft accident report dated September 13, 2005 he reported a total flight time in make and model of 29.5 flight hours. A weather observation taken about 25 minutes after the accident at the Sanford Regional Airport (SFM), Sanford, Maine, located approximately 12 nautical miles southwest of the accident site, recorded the winds from 150 degrees at 3 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: N228X (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Presley RV-4 - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 3707 - Airframe hours: 110.2 - Engines: ECI Titan/361-A1A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: AUG, Augusta, ME - Destination: B19, Biddeford, ME - Airport: B19, Biddeford Municipal Airport, runway 6, 3,000 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 59; injuries: none; private, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: helicopter; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review December 1, 2004; seat: front; flight hours: 3,768 total, 30 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 30.07 inHg - Observed at: SFM, 12 nm away From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.